A system of agriculture where land was divided into scattered strips cultivated by different tenants.
The open-field system was a form of medieval agriculture in which large fields were divided into strips held by different tenants.
Individual tenants often possessed scattered strips rather than a single enclosed area of land. Farming decisions, such as when fields were sown or animals grazed, were often regulated collectively by custom.
Open fields were closely connected with common rights because tenants shared access to pasture and other resources.
The system gradually declined as land was enclosed and farming methods changed.
See also:
Strip
Common Rights
Enclosure
Tenant
