# Yieldfarming

Staking or Farming? Knowing the difference can help you build a smarter DeFi yield strategy.
Many beginners use the terms interchangeably, but on STONfi they serve different roles within the ecosystem on The Open Network.
The key difference
Staking
When you stake STON, you lock your tokens to support the protocol. In return, you earn GEMSTON rewards and governance power, often represented through mechanisms like the Arkenston NFT.
This approach is typically used by long-term supporters who want influence in the DAO.
Farming
Yield farming involves providing liquidity to a trading pool (for exam