Concept in Definition ABC

A peasant is a person who works in rural areas, usually in agricultural or livestock activities whose main objective is the production of various types of crops. food or its derivatives. In general, a peasant can produce these items both for his subsistence (consumption own) or to commercialize them in the market and obtain from it some profit. Although normally the peasant identifies 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 figures most important social activities in all civilizations and cultures since rural activities always occupied a central role in human economies. This role became especially relevant in the medieval period, at which time Western European populations turned to the fields and devoted themselves almost exclusively to farming. agricultural production and livestock. The peasant was then one of the lowest categories on the social scale given his role as an underprivileged figure compared to others such as priests, monarchs, knights and lawyers.

Today, it is considered that the peasant of the industrialized nations differs from that of the developing nations, especially on the basis of one element: while in the In the first case, the peasants can own the tools, the means of production and also the land on which they work; in the second case, the peasants are generally devoted to the economy subsistence with little or no possibility of social advancement. This means that they do not own the land that they work and that their living conditions are unstable, insufficient and, in some cases, even inhumane.

Finally, it can be said that peasant labor is characterized by its highly dependent on external agents such as weather or the market. However, for many, the rural environment maintains certain elements of tradition, traditions, lifestyles and thought that contradict the modern world characterized by stress, routine and urban problems.