noun
small farmer; peasant
Refers to a farmer with a small plot of land, often in a historical or rural context. Can carry a nuance of modest means.
江戸時代、多くの小百姓は年貢に苦しんだ。
In the Edo period, many small farmers struggled under the land tax.
祖父は小百姓だったが、家族を養うのに
My grandfather was a small farmer, but he grew enough crops to support his family.
百姓 is a general term for farmer or peasant, without the implication of small scale. 小百姓 explicitly means a small farmer.
Compound of 小 (small) and 百姓 (farmer, peasant). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used to refer to small-scale farmers since at least the Edo period.