Who knew that the invention of the Internet-connected smartphone would trigger such massive interest in farming? Virtual farming, that is. From Alaska to Florida, millions of digital farmhands plant and harvest crops daily, turning their hardly-called-work into virtual money, earning experience points along the way.

For Android owners, Papaya Farm HD is a wonderful introduction to the world of virtual farming for kids and adults of all ages. Create a new account (or log in to your existing Papaya account), and invite your friends to check out your efforts, and help with specific tasks. Your job is to plant virtual crops, harvest the results, and tend to digital farm animals.

The rewards for your effort include virtual money, experience and rep points, all of which open up new seeds and animals to buy, along with additional equipment, upgrades and more. Be sure to get as many friends as you can helping out. Their efforts on your behalf (and you helping them) will bring you additional rewards, cyberbucks and points.

If you're looking for FarmVille "Lite" for your Android phone, you've come to the right place. It's a bare-bones, but still worthy, entry for apprentice hired hands (like your young children, with your permission). When you're ready for a more-robust experience, Farm Story is the logical next step on your Droid, while FarmVille on Facebook and the iPad is the blue-ribbon winner.