subsistence farming

(agriculture) Growth of crops predominantly for consumption by the farm family rather than for sale.

A form of agriculture where almost all the produce goes to feed and support the household and is not for sale. Some of the output may be bartered. If there is no market trade in any surplus, the economy is classed as tribal or ‘primitive’; if some of the surplus is sold for necessities, such as salt, the economy is classed as ‘peasant’. Very few of the former types of subsistence economy remain.

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Farming that provides enough food for the farmer and his family but not enough for sale. By comparison, commercial farming is farming that provides products for sale.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: farming that provides for the basic needs of the farmer without surpluses for marketing