A SmallholderSmallholderA Smallholder owns more than zero but less than one full share. This might be a small house-lot with garden, a strip of field, a share in meadowland or woodland,… owns more than zero but less than one full share. This might be a small house-lot with garden, a strip of field, a share in meadowland or woodland, or a fraction of a larger estate. The land provides important support, but rarely enough to live on without additional work. Smallholders therefore combine their modest holdings with other activities, namely day-labour on neighbouring farms, seasonal work at harvest time, service in a larger household, or crafts such as weaving, carpentry or peat-cutting. Their position is more precarious than that of Freeholders, as a few bad years can force them to sell land or fall into debt.
Socially, Smallholders stand between the independent farmerFarmer and the landless poor. They may share in some village rights, but with no weight in decisions and more dependence on the goodwill of larger holders and local authorities.
