In Picture 1, the people living on the land farm to meet their own needs only. They usually do not need a large piece of land. They only produce enough food for their own use. They sometimes have food left to exchange or sell to supply the needs of other people. A variety of crops is planted, and they also provide their own meat, eggs and milk. The farmer and his family do all the work themselves as they do not make a profit from farming and can therefore not pay wages. This kind of farming is known as subsistence farming.

The farmer in Picture 2 farms with one main crop, corn. He produces large quantities that he sells at a profit. He is able to live on the money for a long time and can also buy seed for the next harvest. He does not produce his crop for his own use and therefore buys the food he wants to eat. This type of farming is known as commercial farming and their motive for farming is the profit they can make.