Farmer: Difference between revisions

{{other uses|Farmer (disambiguation)|Grower (disambiguation)}} {{distinguish|framer}}

| image = Woman-Farmer at work, Gujarat.jpg

| caption = AWoman farmerworking in a rice field near [[ChadJunagadh]], [[Gujarat]], India, in 2013.

| employment_field = [[Farm]], [[Agribusinessagribusiness]]

| related_occupation = [[RancherRanch]]er (U.S.), [[Pastoral farming|grazier]] (Australia) or stockman

[[File:FFA greenhouse training 120813-A-PO167-151.jpg|thumb|Afghani farmers learning about [[greenhouse]]s.]]

In the U.S.[[United States|US]] of the 1930s, one farmer could produce only produce enough food to feed three other consumers. A modern-day farmer produces enough food to feed well over a hundred people. However, some authors consider this estimate to be flawed, as it does not take into account that farming requires energy and many other resources which have to be provided by additional workers, so that the ratio of people fed to farmers is actually smaller than 100 to 1.<ref name="Kirschenmann 2000">{{Harvnb|Kirschenmann|2000}}.</ref>

[[File:NRCSCT07047Farmer, - ConnecticutNicaragua (716026)(NRCS Photo Galleryrotated).tifjpg|thumb|200px|AnA Americanfarmer in [[dairy farmerNicaragua]]|alt=]]

More distinct terms are commonly used to denote farmers who raise specific [[domestication|domesticated]] animals. For example, those who raise grazing livestock, such as [[cattle]], [[domestic sheep|sheep]], [[goat]]s, and [[horse]]s, are known as ''[[Ranching|ranch]]ers''ranchers'']] (U.S.), ''[[wikt:grazier|graziers]]'' (Australia & U.K.UK), or simply ''stockmen''. Sheep, goat, and cattle farmers might also be referred to, respectively, as ''[[shepherd]]s'', ''[[goatherd]]s'', and ''[[cowherd (disambiguation)#Worker|cowherd]]s''. The term ''[[dairy]] farmer'' is applied to those engaged primarily in milk production, whether from cattle, goats, sheep, or other milk producing animals. A ''poultry farmer'' is one who concentrates on raising [[chicken]]s, [[Domestic turkey|turkeys]], [[domestic duck|duck]]s, or [[domestic goose|geese]], for either [[meat]], [[Egg (food)|egg]], or [[feather]] production, or commonly, all three. A person who raises a variety of vegetables for market may be called a ''truck farmer'' or ''market gardener''. ''Dirt farmer'' is an American colloquial term for a practical farmer, or one who farms his own land.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary</ref>

In the context of [[developing nation]]s or other pre-industrial cultures, most farmers practice a meager [[subsistence agriculture]]&mdash;a—a simple [[organic farming|organic-farming]] system employing [[crop rotation]], [[seed saving]], [[slash and burn]], or other techniques to maximize efficiency while meeting the needs of the household or community. One subsisting in this way may become labelled as a ''[[peasant]]'', often associated disparagingly with a "[[peasant mentality]]".<ref>

In [[developed nation]]s, however, a person using such techniques on small patches of land might be called a [[gardener]] and be considered a [[hobbyist]]. Alternatively, one might be driven into such practices by [[poverty]] or, ironically&mdash;againstironically—against the background of large-scale agribusiness&mdash;mightagribusiness—might become an organic farmer growing for discerning/faddish consumers in the [[local food]] market.

Farmers are often members of local, regional, or national farmers' unions or agricultural producers' organizations and can exert significant political influence. The [[The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry|Grange]] movement in the United States was effective in advancing farmers' agendas, especially against railroad and agribusiness interests early in the 20th century. The [[Fédération Nationale des Syndicats d'Exploitants d'Agricoles|FNSEA]] is very politically active in France, especially pertaining to [[genetically modified food]]. Agricultural producers, both small and large, are represented globally by the [[International Federation of Agricultural Producers]] (IFAP), representing over 600 million farmers through 120 national farmers' unions in 79 countries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ifap.org/en/about/aboutifap.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807165914/http://www.ifap.org/en/about/aboutifap.html|url-status=dead|title=About the International Federation of Agricultural Producers|archive-date=August 7, 2008}}</ref>

* [[4-H]] was started in 1902 and is a U.S. -based network that has approximately 6.5 million members, ages 5 to 21 years old, and is administered by the [[National Institute of Food and Agriculture]] of the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] (USDA).

* [[Rural Youth Europe]] is a non-governmental organization for European youths to create awareness of rural environmental and agriculture issues, it was started in 1957 and the headquarters is in [[Helsinki|Helsinki]], Finland]]. The group is [[Rural Youth Europe#Membership|active]] in 17 countries with over 500,000 participants.

There are several occupational hazards for those in agriculture; farming is a particularly dangerous industry.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aginjury/|title = Agricultural Safety|date = December 15, 2014|publisher = NIOSH|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071028181205/http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aginjury/|archive-date = October 28, 2007}}</ref> Farmers can encounter and be stung or bitten by dangerous insects and other arthropods, including [[scorpion]]s, [[fire ants]], [[beesbee]]s, [[waspswasp]],s and [[hornetshornet]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/insects/|title = Insects and Scorpions|date = February 24, 2012|publisher = NIOSH|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150903023922/http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/insects/|archive-date = September 3, 2015}}</ref> Farmers also work around heavy machinery which can kill or injure them. Farmers can also establish muscle and joints pains from repeated work.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kumaraveloo|first1=K Sakthiaseelan|last2=Lunner Kolstrup|first2=Christina|date=2018-07-03|title=Agriculture and musculoskeletal disorders in low- and middle-income countries|journal=Journal of Agromedicine|language=en|volume=23|issue=3|pages=227–248|doi=10.1080/1059924x.2018.1458671|pmid=30047854|s2cid=51719997|issn=1059-924X}}</ref>

The word 'farmer' originally meant a person collecting taxes from tenants working a field owned by a landlord.<ref>{{cite web |title=Farmer {{!}} Definition of Farmer by Lexico|url=https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/farmer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226090347/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/farmer |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 26, 2019 |website=Lexico Dictionaries {{!}} English |publisher=[[Oxford Dictionaries (website)|Oxford Dictionaries]] |language=en |quote=A person to whom the collection of taxes was contracted for a fee}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Lost Meanings of 'Farm' and 'Farmer' |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-origin-of-farm |website=www.merriam-webster.com |publisher=[[Merriam–Webster's Dictionary of English Usage]] |language=en}}</ref> The word changed to refer to the person farming the field.<!--Dyer-->

* [[Riksdag of the Estates|Bonde]]

|last= Dyer |first= Christopher |author-link= Christopher Dyer |year= 2007

|title= A suffolk farmer in the fifteenth century

|journal= [[Agricultural History Review]] |volume= 55 |issue= 1 |pages= 1–22

|jstor= 40276126 }}