I second what Zasso says about grey area. The rules seem to vary widely from situation to situation.
We were able to be registered as farmers without doing much of anything because the town was eager for us to be here and the previous owner was eager to sell, as well as take care of all the paperwork.
First off, don’t be in a rush. Talk to people around you about what you’re looking for and what you want to do and it’s quite possible an opportunity will appear.