English

Alternative forms

• small holding

Noun

smallholding ‎(plural smallholdings)

1. (Britain) A piece of land, smaller than a farm, used for the cultivation of vegetables or the breeding of animals
2. (US) A small plantation or land with a small number of slaves (generally 19 or less). Contrasted with middling plantation (20-49 slaves) and large plantation (50+ and owned by planters).

   "…the larger plantations implemented different crop choices, surveillance strategies, and labor management practices than did smallholdings." (Wilma P. Dunaway, Slavery in the American Mountain South: "Introduction" 8, 2003)

Related terms

• smallholder

Translations