peasant

Country-dweller engaged in small-scale farming. A peasant normally owns or rents a small amount of land, working with an aim to be self-sufficient and to sell surplus supplies locally.

In the UK, the move towards larger farms in the 18th century resulted in the disappearance of the independent peasantry, although small-scale farming survives in smallholdings and Scottish crofts. Landowners in countries such as France, Spain, and Italy showed less direct interest in agriculture, so the tradition of small independent landholding remains a distinctive way of life today. See also commune.