Cultivate distant maiden (4)
I believe the answer is:
farm
'cultivate' is the definition.
(I know that farm is a more specific form of the action cultivate)
'distant maiden' is the wordplay.
'distant' becomes 'far' (similar in meaning).
'maiden' becomes 'm' (cricket abbreviation).
'far'+'m'='FARM'
(Other definitions for farm that I've seen before include "Smallholding" , "agricultural business" , "croft" , "Agricultural dwelling" , "Land, with buildings, used for agricultural purposes" .)