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Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed themselves and their families. The output is mostly for local requirements with little or no surplus for trade.

The most common type is intensive subsistence agriculture, which is often referred to as traditional subsistence agriculture. This type of agriculture is practiced in India, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico and Peru. The crops are grown on a small plot of land year after year using human and animal labor.

Subsistence farming may be:shifting farming or nomadic herding (see nomadic people). Examples: A family has only one cow to give milk only for that family. A farmer grows only enough wheat to make bread for his or her family.