A farmer is a person who performs his work in rural areas, normally in agricultural or livestock activities whose main objective is the production of various types of food or its derivatives. In general, a peasant can produce these elements both for his subsistence (own consumption) or to sell them in the market and obtain some profit from it. Although normally the farmer is identified with the production of vegetables, fruits or vineyards, the farmer can also own different types of livestock.
Throughout history, the peasant has been one of the most important social figures in all civilizations and cultures, since rural activities have always played a central role in human economies. This role became especially relevant in the medieval period, when the populations of Western Europe turned to the fields and dedicated themselves almost exclusively to agricultural and livestock production. The peasant was then one of the lowest categories of the social scale given his role as a non-privileged figure compared to others such as priests, monarchs, knights and lawyers.
Nowadays, it is considered that the peasant of the industrialized nations differs from that of the developing nations especially from one element: while in the first the peasants can own the tools, the means of production and also the land itself on which they work, in the second case the peasants generally focus on the subsistence economy with little or no chance of social advancement. This means that they do not own the land they work and that their living conditions are unstable, insufficient and, in some cases, even inhumane.
Finally, it can be said that peasant work is characterized by its high dependence on external agents such as the weather or the market. However, for many, the rural environment maintains certain elements of tradition, customs, lifestyles and thought that contradict the modern world characterized by stress, routine and urban problems.
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