This is the 2159th most frequent German word.
bauer
Farmer.
In this context, 'Bauer' refers to a pawn, the chess piece used in the game.
Ich habe einen Bauern im Schach geschlagen.
I captured a pawn in chess.
Here, 'Bauer' refers to a farmer, someone who works in agriculture.
Der Bauer pflanzt Gemüse auf seinem Feld.
The farmer is planting vegetables in his field.
In this sentence, 'Bauern-' is used as a prefix meaning 'farming' or 'traditional farming-related', studying agricultural heritage.