Subsistence

The following is a list of subsistence techniques:

Hunting and Gathering techniques, 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.
- subsistence agriculture — agricultural cultivation involving continuous use of arable (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