An individual who farms crops but does not own the land is known as what?

The term for an individual who farms crops but does not own the land is referred to as a sharecropper. A sharecropper typically works on land owned by someone else, and in return for using the land, they share a portion of the crop produced with the landowner. This arrangement can provide opportunities for individuals to engage in farming without the capital needed to purchase land.

In contrast, a tenant farmer may also farm someone else's land, but they usually pay rent in cash or a fixed amount of the crop rather than sharing the harvest with the landowner. A leaseholder has a formal agreement to lease the property for a specific term, which differs from the often more informal or traditional arrangements associated with sharecroppers. An independent contractor is a broader term that refers to someone who works for themselves and does not have a formal employee-employer relationship, which does not specifically define their relationship with the land they are farming.