What agricultural practice involved African Americans farming land owned by others for a share of the crops?

Sharecropping is the agricultural practice where African Americans, particularly in the post-Civil War South, would farm land that was owned by white landowners in return for a share of the crops produced. This system emerged during the Reconstruction era as a means of economic survival for many formerly enslaved individuals who lacked the resources to own land themselves. Under sharecropping agreements, laborers would cultivate a portion of the owner's land, and at harvest time, they would split the profits or crops with the landowner.

This practice often led to a cycle of poverty and debt, as sharecroppers had to borrow supplies and tools from landowners and were frequently taken advantage of. While tenant farming can also involve renting land and sharing crop yields, sharecropping specifically refers to the arrangement where the laborers did not necessarily pay rent in cash but instead paid with a portion of the harvest, making it a distinct arrangement in the context of African American agricultural labor during this period.