List of subsistence techniques

• Hunting and Gathering, also known as Foraging
• *freeganism involves gathering of discarded food in the context of an urban environment
• *gleaning involves the gathering of food that traditional farmers have left behind in their fields
• Cultivation
• * Horticulture
  - plant cultivation, based on the use of simple tools.
• * Agriculture
  - cultivation involving continuous use of crop land, and is more labor-intensive than horticulture.
  
• Pastoralism
  - the raising of grazing animals
• * Pastoral nomadism: all members of the pastoral society follow the herd throughout the year.
  
• * Transhumance or agro-pastoralism: part of the society follows the herd, while the other part maintains a home village.
  
• * Ranch agriculture: non-nomadic pastoralism with a defined territory
• Alternative ends
  - people devote their time, resources, and energy to five broad categories of ends: subsistence, replacement, social, ceremonial, and rent.
  
• * Subsistence fund: work is done to replace calories lost through life activities.
  
• * Replacement fund: work is expended maintaining the technology necessary for life.
  
• * Social fund: work is expended to establish and maintain social ties.
  
• **Ceremonial fund: work is expended to fulfill ritual obligations.
  
• * Rent fund: work is expended to satisfy the obligations owed political or economic superiors.
  
• Distribution and Exchange
• * Redistribution
  
• * Reciprocity
  - exchange between social equals.
  
• * Potlatching
  - a widely studied ritual in which sponsors (helped by their entourages) gave away resources and manufactured wealth while generating prestige for themselves.
• * LETS - Local Exchange Trading Systems.
  

See also

• List of alternative lifestyles
• List of things which are neither production nor consumption
• Staple food
• Society