46-519: The Commercial Farmers' Union of Zimbabwe is an organisation that was formed to assist farmers in Zimbabwe with a variety of agricultural services. Farmers within the country pay a subscription fee which entitles them to the use of these services. Currently the president of the CFU is Peter Steyl. The Chief Executive Officer of the organisation is Hendrik Olivier. The Commercial Farmers Union of Zimbabwe (CFU)
92-467: A gardener and be considered a hobbyist . Alternatively, one might be driven into such practices by poverty or, ironically—against the background of large-scale agribusiness—might become an organic farmer growing for discerning/faddish consumers in the local food market. Farmers are often members of local, regional, or national farmers' unions or agricultural producers' organizations and can exert significant political influence. The Grange movement in
138-561: A "farmer" is usually a farm owner ( landowner ), while employees of the farm are known as farm workers (or farmhands). However, in other older definitions a farmer was a person who promotes or improves the growth of plants, land, or crops or raises animals (as livestock or fish) by labor and attention. Over half a billion farmers are smallholders , most of whom are in developing countries and who economically support almost two billion people. Globally, women constitute more than 40% of agricultural employees. Farming dates back as far as
184-544: A family member to shepherd its flock, often a child, youth or an elder who could not help much with harder work; these shepherds were fully integrated in society. Shepherds would normally work in groups: either looking after one large flock, or each bringing their own and merging their responsibilities. They would live in small cabins, often shared with their sheep, and would buy food from local communities. Less often shepherds lived in covered wagons that traveled with their flocks. Shepherding developed only in certain areas. In
230-643: A hooked end. In modern times, shepherding has changed dramatically. The enclosure of many common lands in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries shifted some shepherds from independent nomads to employees of massive estates. Some families in Africa and Asia have their wealth in sheep, so a young son is sent out to guard them while the rest of the family tends to other chores. In the US, many sheep herds are flocked over public Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. Wages are higher than
276-406: A hut-keeper during the night. Shepherds took the sheep out to graze before sunrise and returned them to brush-timber yards at sunset. The hut-keeper usually slept in a movable shepherd's watch box placed near the yard in order to deter attacks on the sheep. Dogs were also often chained close by to warn of any impending danger to the sheep or shepherd by dingoes or natives. In 1839 the usual wage for
322-475: A large flock, the sheep must be able to move from pasture to pasture. This required the development of an occupation separate from that of the farmer. The duty of shepherds was to keep their flock intact, protect it from predators and guide it to market areas in time for shearing . In ancient times, shepherds also commonly milked their sheep, and made cheese from this milk; a few shepherds still do this today. In many societies, shepherds were an important part of
368-460: A meager subsistence agriculture —a simple organic-farming system employing crop rotation , seed saving , slash and burn , or other techniques to maximize efficiency while meeting the needs of the household or community. One subsisting in this way may become labelled as a peasant , often associated disparagingly with a " peasant mentality ". In developed nations , however, a person using such techniques on small patches of land might be called
414-461: A person collecting taxes from tenants working a field owned by a landlord. The word changed to refer to the person farming the field. Previous names for a farmer were churl and husbandman. Shepherd A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep . Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of pastoralist animal husbandry . Because
460-411: A shepherd was about AU£50 per year, plus weekly rations of 12 pounds (5.4 kg) meat, 10 pounds (4.5 kg) flour, 2 pounds (0.91 kg) sugar and 4 ounces (110 g) tea. The wage during the depression of the 1840s dropped to £20 a year. During the 1850s many shepherds left to try their luck on the goldfields causing acute labour shortages in the pastoral industry. This labour shortage leads to
506-473: A shepherd, a man is the shepherd over his family, and a woman is the shepherd over her husband's house and his children. So all of you are shepherds, and every one of you is responsible for his herd." One of the gentle aspects of the Hindu deity Shiva is called Pashupati , translated as, "the lord of the animals", though more commonly associated with cattle. As Pashupati, the deity is metaphorically regarded to be
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#1732909655418552-399: A shepherd." ( Sahih Bukhari , Chapter 'Prophets', Volume 4, Book 55, Hadith 618) This includes Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and all other prophets according to Islam. Also, 'shepherd' used as a metaphor of leadership and responsibilities that comes with it. A hadith narrated from Ibn Umar says that Muhammad says, "All of you are shepherds and every one of you is responsible for his herd. A leader is
598-526: Is a list of past Presidents of the Commercial Farmers' Union and its antecedents. Farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture , raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops , orchards , vineyards , poultry , or other livestock . A farmer might own the farmland or might work as a laborer on land owned by others. In most developed economies ,
644-416: Is an American colloquial term for a practical farmer, or one who farms his own land. In developed nations, a farmer (as a profession) is usually defined as someone with an ownership interest in crops or livestock, and who provides land or management in their production. Those who provide only labor are most often called farmhands . Alternatively, growers who manage farmland for an absentee landowner, sharing
690-524: Is an idyllic and natural countryside. These works are, indeed, called pastoral , after the term for herding. The first surviving instances are the Idylls of Theocritus , and the Eclogues of Virgil , both of which inspired many imitators such as Edmund Spenser 's The Shepheardes Calender . The shepherds of the pastoral are often heavily conventional and bear little relation to the actual work of shepherds. In
736-729: Is an independent and politically neutral membership driven organisation which represents and advances the interests of professional farmers in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in Africa. The CFU draws its membership from primarily large scale and Intensive Commercial Agricultural Producers, but membership is open to all farmers regardless of scale or land holding. The CFU's main agenda is to promote a stable and competitive agricultural business environment; and to provide advice and support to farmers – covering technical extension service, inputs, marketing aspects, business management, labour relations, advice with land and compensation issues and so on. The following
782-417: Is applied to those engaged primarily in milk production, whether from cattle, goats, sheep, or other milk producing animals. A poultry farmer is one who concentrates on raising chickens , turkeys , ducks or geese , for either meat , egg or feather production, or commonly, all three. A person who raises a variety of vegetables for market may be called a truck farmer or market gardener . Dirt farmer
828-484: Is one of the thrusts of Biblical scripture. This illustration encompasses many ideas, including God's care for his people. The tendency of humans to put themselves into danger's way and their inability to guide and take care of themselves apart from the direct power and leading of God is also reinforced with the metaphor of sheep in need of a shepherd. According to Muhammad , the Prophet of Islam , every messenger of God had
874-599: The Neolithic , being one of the defining characteristics of that era. By the Bronze Age , the Sumerians had an agriculture specialized labor force by 5000–4000 BCE, and heavily depended on irrigation to grow crops. They relied on three-person teams when harvesting in the spring. The Ancient Egypt farmers farmed and relied and irrigated their water from the Nile . Animal husbandry ,
920-865: The 1930s, one farmer could produce only enough food to feed three other consumers. A modern farmer produces enough food to feed well over a hundred people. However, some authors consider this estimate to be flawed, as it does not take into account that farming requires energy and many other resources which have to be provided by additional workers, so that the ratio of people fed to farmers is actually smaller than 100 to 1. More distinct terms are commonly used to denote farmers who raise specific domesticated animals. For example, those who raise grazing livestock, such as cattle , sheep , goats and horses , are known as ranchers (U.S.), graziers (Australia & UK) or simply stockmen . Sheep, goat and cattle farmers might also be referred to, respectively, as shepherds , goatherds and cowherds . The term dairy farmer
966-751: The United States was effective in advancing farmers' agendas, especially against railroad and agribusiness interests early in the 20th century. The FNSEA is very politically active in France, especially pertaining to genetically modified food . Agricultural producers, both small and large, are represented globally by the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), representing over 600 million farmers through 120 national farmers' unions in 79 countries. There are many organizations that are targeted at teaching young people how to farm and advancing
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#17329096554181012-522: The ancient practices and knowledge that have been passed down through generations. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in sustainable and eco-friendly agriculture in China, leading to efforts to preserve and revitalize traditional shepherding practices. Some initiatives aim to support and empower local shepherds, recognizing the cultural and environmental importance of their role in maintaining China's pastoral landscapes. European exploration led to
1058-566: The cold. In the more temperate and arable southern regions, shepherds utilized different strategies for grazing and protection. Shepherding practices in China have evolved over the centuries, adapting to changes in agricultural and pastoral systems. With the modernization of agriculture and the growth of urbanization, the traditional role of shepherds has declined significantly in many parts of China. However, there are still regions, particularly in remote and mountainous areas, where shepherds continue to maintain their traditional way of life, preserving
1104-420: The economy. Unlike farmers, shepherds were often wage earners, being paid to watch the sheep of others. Shepherds also lived apart from society, being largely nomadic. It was mainly a job for solitary males without children, and new shepherds thus needed to be recruited externally. Shepherds were most often the younger sons of farming peasants who did not inherit any land. In other societies, each family would have
1150-432: The fertile plains of the central and eastern regions. The shepherds employed their knowledge of the land and the behavior of their animals to select optimal grazing grounds and water sources. Traditional Chinese shepherds used tools and equipment suited to their specific regions and needs. In the north, where winters could be harsh, they often relied on yurts or portable shelters to protect themselves and their livestock from
1196-428: The harvest (or its profits) are known as sharecroppers or sharefarmers . In the context of agribusiness , a farmer is defined broadly, and thus many individuals not necessarily engaged in full-time farming can nonetheless legally qualify under agricultural policy for various subsidies , incentives, and tax deductions . In the context of developing nations or other pre-industrial cultures, most farmers practice
1242-425: The herdsman or the shepherd of the souls of men. Sikhism also has many mentions of shepherd tales. There are many relevant quotations, such as "We are the cattle, God almighty is our shepherd." This concept has also been used frequently by critics of organized religion to present an unflattering portrayal. The shepherd, with other such figures as the goatherd , is the inhabitant of idealized Arcadia , which
1288-742: The knowledge and benefits of sustainable agriculture . Farmed products might be sold either to a market , in a farmers' market , or directly from a farm. In a subsistence economy, farm products might to some extent be either consumed by the farmer's family or pooled by the community. There are several occupational hazards for those in agriculture; farming is a particularly dangerous industry. Farmers can encounter and be stung or bitten by dangerous insects and other arthropods, including scorpions , fire ants , bees , wasps and hornets . Farmers also work around heavy machinery which can kill or injure them. Farmers can also establish muscle and joints pains from repeated work. The word 'farmer' originally meant
1334-630: The land was dry and barren, it was thought that Dumuzid had "died". Metaphorically, the term "shepherd" is used for God , especially in the Judeo-Christian tradition (e.g. Psalm 23 , Ezekiel 34), and in Christianity especially for Jesus , who called himself the Good Shepherd . The Ancient Israelites were a pastoral people and there were many shepherds among them. It may also be worth noting that many biblical figures were shepherds, among them
1380-607: The lowlands and river valleys, it was far more efficient to grow grain and cereals than to allow sheep to graze; thus the raising of sheep was confined to rugged and mountainous areas. In pre-modern times shepherding was thus centered on regions such as the Middle East, Greece, the Pyrenees , the Carpathian Mountains , Scotland and Northern England. The shepherd's crook is a strong multi-purpose stick or staff, often fashioned with
1426-605: The next thousand years, sheep and shepherding spread throughout Eurasia . Henri Fleisch tentatively suggested that the Shepherd Neolithic industry of Lebanon may date to the Epipaleolithic and that it may have been practised by one of the first cultures of nomadic shepherds in the Beqaa Valley . Some sheep were integrated in the family farm along with other animals such as chickens and pigs. However to maintain
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1472-580: The occupation is so widespread, many religions and cultures have symbolic or metaphorical references to shepherds. For example, Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd , and ancient Greek mythologies highlighted shepherds such as Endymion and Daphnis . This symbolism and shepherds as characters are at the center of pastoral literature and art. Shepherding is among the oldest occupations, beginning some 5,000 years ago in Asia Minor . Sheep were kept for their milk, their meat and especially their wool . Over
1518-503: The occupation of being a shepherd at one point in their lives, as he himself was as a young man. Narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah: We were with Allah 's Apostle picking the fruits of the Arak trees , and Allah's Apostle (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said, "Pick the black fruit, for it is the best." The companions asked, "Were you a shepherd?" He replied, "There was no prophet who was not
1564-523: The patriarchs Abraham and Jacob , the twelve tribes , the prophet Moses , King David , and the Old Testament prophet Amos , who was a shepherd in the rugged area around Tekoa . In the New Testament , angels announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds . The same metaphor is also applied to priests , with Roman Catholic , Church of Sweden and other Lutheran , and Anglican bishops having
1610-484: The poem "The passionate shepherd to his love", by Christopher Marlowe, a shepherd is depicted as a partaker of rural paradise, and capable of giving things worth more than that a town resident could give. Many tales involving foundlings portray them being rescued by shepherds: Oedipus , Romulus and Remus , the title characters of Longus 's Daphnis and Chloe , and The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare . These characters are often of much higher social status than
1656-595: The practice of rearing animals specifically for farming purposes, has existed for thousands of years. Dogs were domesticated in East Asia about 15,000 years ago. Goats and sheep were domesticated around 8000 BCE in Asia . Swine or pigs were domesticated by 7000 BCE in the Middle East and China . The earliest evidence of horse domestication dates to around 4000 BCE. In the US of
1702-457: The sheep from straying too far, to keep the mobs as healthy as possible and to prevent attacks from dingoes and introduced predators such as feral dogs and foxes. Lambing time further increased the shepherd's responsibilities. Shepherding was an isolated, lonely job that was firstly given to assigned convict servants. The accommodation was usually poor and the food was lacking in nutrition, leading to dysentery and scurvy . When free labour
1748-631: The sheep when necessary at times like lambing or shearing. The first Shepherd's Fair was announced to take place in the Cyprus Village of Pachna, on August 31, 2014, in the printed editions of Cyprus Weekly and in the Greek-language daily, Phileleftheros . Shepherding in China dates back thousands of years. Traditional Chinese shepherds played a vital role in the country's agrarian society, tending to flocks of sheep and goats in various regions. These herders were responsible for not only ensuring
1794-545: The shepherd's crook among their insignia (see also Lycidas ). In both cases, the implication is that the faithful are the "flock" who have to be tended. This is in part inspired by Jesus's injunctions to Peter, "Feed my sheep", which is the source of the pastoral image in Lycidas . The term " Pastor ", originally the Latin word for "shepherd", is now used solely to denote the clergy of most Christian denominations. The Good Shepherd
1840-588: The spread of sheep around the world, and shepherding became especially important in Australia and New Zealand where there was great pastoral expansion. In Australia squatters spread beyond the Nineteen Counties of New South Wales to elsewhere, taking over vast holdings called properties and now stations . Once driven overland to these properties, sheep were pastured in large unfenced runs. There, they required constant supervision. Shepherds were employed to keep
1886-496: The start of the 20th century. Dumuzid , later known as Tammuz, was an important rural deity in ancient Mesopotamian religion , who was revered as the patron god of shepherds. In his role as Dumuzid sipad ("Dumuzid the Shepherd"), he was believed to be the provider of milk, which was a rare, seasonal commodity in ancient Sumer due to the fact that it could not easily be stored without spoiling . Under this same title, Dumuzid
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1932-404: The well-being of their animals but also safeguarding them from natural predators such as wolves and protecting them from theft. Shepherding in ancient China was often a communal effort, with families or communities collectively managing their herds. These communities developed techniques and methods to graze their flocks in the vast and varied landscapes of China, from the high plateaus of Tibet to
1978-521: The widespread practice of fencing properties, which in turn reduced the demand for shepherds. Over 95% of New South Wales sheep were grazing in paddocks by the mid-1880s. An 1890s census of fencing in New South Wales recorded that 2.6 million kilometres of fencing had been erected there with a contemporary cost of A$ 3 billion. Boundary riders and stockmen replaced shepherds working on foot, who have not been employed in Australia and New Zealand since
2024-399: Was more readily available others took up this occupation. Some shepherds were additionally brought to Australia on the ships that carried sheep and were contracted to caring for them on their arrival in the colony. Sheep owners complained about the inefficiency of shepherds and the shepherds' fears of getting lost in the bush . Typically sheep were watched by shepherds during the day, and by
2070-489: Was the case in the past. Keeping a shepherd in constant attendance can be costly. Also, the eradication of sheep predators in parts of the world has lessened the need for shepherds. In places like Britain, hardy breeds of sheep have frequently been left alone without a shepherd for long periods. More productive breeds of sheep can be left in fields and moved periodically to fresh pasture when necessary. Hardier breeds of sheep can be left on hillsides. The sheep farmer will attend to
2116-514: Was thought to have been the fifth antediluvian king of the Sumerian city-state of Bad-tibira . In the Sumerian poem Inanna Prefers the Farmer , Dumuzid competes with the farmer Enkimdu for the affection of the goddess Inanna and ultimately wins her favor. Ancient Near Eastern peoples associated Dumuzid with the springtime, when the land was fertile and abundant, but, during the summer months, when
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