Simplest thing was to let someone work the land in exchange for a cut of the crops: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenant_farmer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te

Simplest thing was to let someone work the land in exchange for a cut of the crops: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenant_farmer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenant_farmer Sharecropping has also been pointed out as the model for things happening on the web: https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2003/07/12/WebsThePlace https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2003/07/12/WebsThePl... (redux: https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2003/07/14/ShareCrop2 https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2003/07/14/ShareCrop... )