Subsistence strategies can be classified into two primary types:
1. Hunting and Gathering: This strategy involves directly obtaining resources from nature. Hunter-gatherers rely on hunting animals and gathering wild plants for their sustenance. They have a nomadic lifestyle, moving from place to place in search of resources.
2. Agriculture: Agriculture involves cultivating crops and raising livestock for subsistence. This strategy is more settled than hunting and gathering, as individuals establish semi-permanent or permanent settlements. There are various forms of agriculture, including slash-and-burn cultivation, shifting cultivation, intensive farming, and more modern industrialized agriculture.
Within these two broad categories, there are numerous specific subsistence strategies that have emerged in different regions and cultures around the world. For example:
- Fishing and coastal foraging
- Pastoralism (raising livestock)
- Aquaculture (farming aquatic organisms)
- Urban agriculture (growing crops in urban environments)
- Agroforestry (combining agriculture with forestry practices)
- Small-scale farming
- Barter and exchange systems for obtaining goods
The choice of subsistence strategy depends on various factors, such as the availability of natural resources, climate, cultural practices, technological advancements, and societal organization. Subsistence strategies can evolve and adapt over time as conditions change, and they play a crucial role in shaping human societies and their relationship with the environment.