{{Short description|Farm maintained for recreational purposes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}} <noinclude>{{refimprove|date=January 2012}} </noinclude> [[Image:Hobby farm 0083.jpg|thumb|An old dairy farm used as a hobby farm near [[Leicester (town), New York|Leicester, New York]]]] {{Agriculture|land}} A '''hobby farm''' (also called a '''lifestyle block''', '''acreage living''', or '''rural residential''') is a [[smallholding]] or small [[farm]] that is maintained without expectation of being a primary source of income. Some are held simply to bring homeowners closer to nature, to provide recreational land for horses, or as working farms for secondary income.
== Hobby farms globally == Hobby farms are agricultural land smaller than a fully-fledged farm. As such, hobby farms produce the largest share of overall crop production, with 29% of agricultural product for humans, animals, and fuel being produced by farms a maximum of 2 hectares in size,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zandt |first=Florian |date=October 6, 2021 |title=The world's smallest farms feed more people than you might think, research shows |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/fuel-food-work-world-farms-agriculture/ |access-date=February 28, 2024 |website=World Economic Forum}}</ref> generating 32% of food available globally.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Ritchie |first1=Hannah |author1-link=Hannah Ritchie |last2=Roser |first2=Max |author2-link=Max Roser |date=2024-03-18 |title=Smallholders produce one-third of the world's food, less than half of what many headlines claim |url=https://ourworldindata.org/smallholder-food-production |journal=Our World in Data}}</ref> Research suggests that due to globalization, climate change, and a decrease in land access particularly within the US, smallholdings are becoming less available to young farmers, with the median age of hobby farmers being 60 worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Meggan |date=2022-09-01 |title=New Data Highlights A Lesser-Known Issue The Farm Industry Is Facing |url=https://www.tastingtable.com/990285/new-data-highlights-a-lesser-known-issue-the-farm-industry-is-facing/ |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=Tasting Table |language=en-US}}</ref>
The size of a hobby farm can vary greatly from one country or region to the next depending on the level of urbanization and land access. The size of a smallholding in Brazil is typically less than 500 hectares (1235 acres),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Helfand |first=Steven M. |date=2017 |title=Brazilian Agriculture: Is it all about the Large Farms? |url=https://economics.ucr.edu/docs/helfand/Helfand%20Is%20it%20all%20about%20large%20farms%20EuroChoices%202017.pdf}}</ref> while in America a smallholding is typically categorized as being less than 20 hectares (50 acres).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Smallholdings - All you need to know |url=https://addland.com/research/guides/smallholdings |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Addland |language=en}}</ref> Despite this, 84% of all farms on a global scale consist of less than 2 hectares (5 acres).<ref name=":0" />
==By country==
=== Australia === Rural residential living in Australia consists of very large home sites usually on the outskirts of an urban area. Often subdivisions of former farms, these blocks of land are primarily used for residential purposes by people who enjoy the countryside or have hobbies and interests (e.g. gardening, horses, collecting and restoring old vehicles) which require more land than a normal suburban block, or by those who simply prefer the privacy of very-low-density living. Occupiers of rural residential properties generally accept that there will be a lower level of amenities available to them locally (e.g. shopping centres, public transport) and are prepared to travel further to access such amenities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rural residential zone |url=https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/mbrc-planning-scheme/info-sheets/rural-residential/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210084635/https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/mbrc-planning-scheme/info-sheets/rural-residential/ |archive-date=10 December 2018 |access-date=10 December 2018 |publisher=[[Moreton Bay Regional Council]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rural Residential Zone |url=https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/4177/CPInfoSheet_Rural-Residential-Zone-Information-4-MAY-2017.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210085441/https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/4177/CPInfoSheet_Rural-Residential-Zone-Information-4-MAY-2017.pdf |archive-date=10 December 2018 |access-date=10 December 2018 |publisher=[[Townsville City Council]]}}</ref>
===United Kingdom=== In the UK, country living is becoming a pastime rather than an occupation. The number of farms in England with "no economic output" in recent{{As of?|date=October 2023}} surveys jumped in one year from 90,000 to 115,000, while the number of large farms fell to only 15,000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Changing Landscape of Farming in England |url=https://landlister.co.uk/guides/farming-in-england-changing-landscape |access-date=2025-10-20 |website=landlister.co.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref>
Willy Newlands, author of ''Hobby Farm'' (Souvenir Press, London, 2006), says: "Hobby agriculture covers a wide spectrum, from backyard eggs-and-jam to large areas of grazing land. The main planks on which a definition can be made are money and labour: the hobby farmer's income is largely made from off-farm work and the holding does not employ full-time labour.
"There is a blurred line between the smallholder/crofter and the hobby farmer, although my own definition would be 'a smallholder tries to make money on his land, a hobby farmer spends money on his land.' Mainly, it’s a matter of attitude. The nouveau farmer is, above all, enjoying himself."
===United States===
In the U.S., a high proportion of farms might be classed as hobby farms. In 2007, over 40% of farms reported less than $2500 in income and over 10% of farms had less than {{convert|10|acres|hectare}} of land. Over 50% of primary farm operators reported that their main income was a job outside of their farm; although, this figure includes some farm operators who do not personally participate in farming and some quite large and productive farms.<ref>[http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_1_US/st99_1_001_001.pdf 2007 Census of Agriculture – United States Data] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513115210/https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_1_US/st99_1_001_001.pdf |date=13 May 2017 }}, USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Table 1. Historical Highlights: 2007 and Earlier Census Years</ref>
In the US, as farms grow in size, older farms become less economically viable. Some are purchased and most of the land is combined with larger nearby farms, however, the large farm has little use for the buildings. These can be sold off with only a building lot of real estate, but are much more saleable if a modest area, 5 to 15 acres (20,000 to 60,000 m²) is sold along with them.{{fact|date=February 2017}}
Some, especially in developed areas, are used as [[Market gardening|truck gardens]], with their own produce stands, or a regular stall in a local [[farmer's market]].
=== Canada ===
[[Canada|Canadian]] hobby farms are exempt from certain taxes and regulations applied to commercial farms; however, there are stipulations for what does and does not make an acreage a hobby farm.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Is a Hobby Farm in Canada (And What Isn't)? |url=https://bootstrapbee.com/smallholding/what-is-a-hobby-farm-in-canada-and-what-isn-t |access-date=2024-03-13 |website=🐝 BootstrapBee.com}}</ref> Hobby farmers are evaluated by the Government of Canada to determine whether they are a commercial or pleasure farm based on criteria from a test. Some criterion includes the amount of money a business makes, which should be under $10,000 annual net income for a hobby farm, the number of employees, time spent on the farm in comparison to time spent gathering primary income, and whether the farm is run in a businesslike or commercial manner.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Agency |first=Canada Revenue |date=2016-10-07 |title=Income Tax Folio S4-F11-C1, Meaning of Farming and Farming Business |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/technical-information/income-tax/income-tax-folios-index/series-4-businesses/series-4-businesses-folio-11-meaning-farming/income-tax-folio-s4-f11-c1-meaning-farming-farming-business.html |access-date=2024-03-13 |website=www.canada.ca}}</ref>
The majority of hobby farms in Canada are based in Ontario and British Columbia. Hobby farming in Canada has quickly gained popularity over the last few decades as both a means of generating additional revenue and for the enjoyment of Canadians. 40% of hobby farmers in Canada have reported a positive net income as of a 1998 census.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2018-11-27 |title=The Daily — The socioeconomic portrait of Canada's evolving farm population, 2016 |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/181127/dq181127b-eng.htm |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=www150.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref> The size of these farms appears to be gradually decreasing due in part to increasing [[urban sprawl]] and inaccessibility of large plots of land to the average Canadian, however the median income earned by these farms has increased by 144.4% in 2016, making these small farms more profitable than ever before.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Hobby Farming: For Pleasure or Profit? - ARCHIVED | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/21-601-m/21-601-m1998033-eng.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908193729/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/21-601-m/21-601-m1998033-eng.pdf | access-date=2026-02-12 | archive-date=2018-09-08}}</ref>{{-}}
==See also== {{subject bar|auto=y|d=y|Agriculture and Agronomy}} {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * [[Allotment gardens]] * [[Asset-Based Community Development]] * [[Community Food Security Coalition]] * [[Community gardens]] * [[Gentleman farmer]] * [[Special Rural Properties, Western Australia]] * [[Sustainable agriculture]] * [[Permaculture]] {{div col end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
* {{Cite book|title=The Resilient Farm and Homestead : 20 Years of Permaculture and Whole Systems Design. Revised and expanded edition|last=Falk|first=Ben|publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing|year=2024|isbn=9781645021100|oclc=1413966511}} * {{Cite book|title=Lifestyle Farming in New Zealand|last=Martin|first=Paul|publisher=Craig Potton Publishing|year=2007|isbn=9781877333446|oclc=946774460}} * {{Cite web |last1=Dimitri, Carolyn |last2=Effland, Anne |last3=Conklin, Neilson |date=June 2005 |title=The 20th Century Transformation of U.S. Agriculture and Farm Policy |url=http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib-economic-information-bulletin/eib3.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151103234157/http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib-economic-information-bulletin/eib3.aspx |archive-date=3 November 2015 |access-date=31 October 2015 |website=Economic Research Service |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture}} * {{Cite web |last=O'Dell |first=Larry |title=Sidewalk and Suitcase Farmers |url=http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=SI002 |website=Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture |publisher=[[Oklahoma Historical Society]]}} *{{Cite web |last=Fortier |first=Jean-Martin |date=March 1, 2014 |title=The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower's Handbook for Small-Scale Organic Farming |url=https://themarketgardener.com/books/the-market-gardener/}}
[[Category:Farms by type]] [[Category:Urban agriculture]]