The system of agriculture which involves the cultivation of crops and rearing of animals for family consumption only is termed?

Step 1: Analyze the question The key phrase is "cultivation of crops and rearing of animals for family consumption only." This tells us the produce is not meant for sale, but to feed the farmer's own household.

Step 2: Explain the concepts

• Peasant farming: Small-scale farming on small plots using simple tools. It is often for the family's needs, but surplus may be sold. The emphasis is on the scale and methods, not strictly on consumption only.
• Plantation agriculture: Large-scale cultivation of a single cash crop (e.g., oil palm, rubber, cocoa) on a big estate, mainly for sale or export.
• Commercial farming: Farming done mainly to sell produce for profit, usually on a larger scale with modern inputs.
• Subsistence farming: Farming where the farmer grows crops and rears animals mainly to feed his or her own family, with little or nothing sold.

Step 3: Match the definition The phrase "for family consumption only" fits subsistence farming directly. Plantation and commercial farming are market-oriented, so they are ruled out. Peasant farming is close, but it does not define the system by "consumption only", so it is less precise.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is D. subsistent (subsistence) farming.

Exam tip: Link the word subsistence with survive. If the farmer grows food just to survive and feed the family, it is subsistence farming. If you see words like "sale," "profit," or "export," think commercial or plantation.