landfarmers

Landfarmers is a term used in agrarian policy and scholarship to describe people who farm land through access arrangements other than full ownership. The category includes tenant farmers, leaseholders, sharecroppers, and farmers who work on land under community, cooperative, or long-term rental arrangements. Some uses broaden the term to emphasize reliance on land access as a key determinant of production, rather than personal capital or ownership.

Historically, land tenure has shaped who can farm and under what conditions. In feudal or colonial economies, tenancy and sharecropping determined security of income and incentives to invest in soil health. In many modern developing countries, tenancy reforms, land reform programs, and rental markets continue to influence the population of landfarmers. In urban contexts, landfarmers may operate on city or suburban plots, including vacant lots managed by municipalities or community land trusts.

In contemporary discourse, landfarmers often appear in debates about access to land for new and minority farmers, agricultural entrepreneurship, and regenerative land use. Policies aimed at improving land access typically focus on tenure security, access to capital, and risk-sharing arrangements, as well as training in sustainable farming practices. Critics point to persistent barriers such as rent volatility, insecure leases, and land speculation that can undermine long-term investments.

See also: tenant farmer, sharecropping, land reform, community land trust, urban agriculture, regenerative agriculture.