Explain the system of share cropping

Sharecropping is a form of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on their portion of land. Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range of different situations and types of agreements that have used a form of the system. Some are governed by tradition, and others by law. Legal contract systems such as the Italian mezzadria, the French métayage, the Spanish mediero, the Slavic połowcy, or the Islamic system of muqasat, occur widely.

which time period is this? or is this story fictional, i'm going to need more info to answer this question

small european communities with shared traditions consolidated into large new states (apex)