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Mathematics with Business Applications6th EditionMcGraw-Hill Education 3,760 solutions This edition: Subsistence SystemsOnline media for this show is not available on our website. Regardless of language, geographic location or culture, the question is the same: “What are we going to eat today?” The response depends upon the subsistence system used by those asking the question. This
lesson focuses on three types of subsistence patterns: foraging, horticultural/ agricultural, and pastoralism. The Ju/’hoansi live in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. They are a prime example of the hunter/gatherer–foraging subsistence system. Their understanding of the ecosystem in which they live and their ability to adapt have led to their survival both as foragers and now as a more sedentary group. While foragers have little control over the availability of natural resources, they can
ensure their survival by living within the carrying capacity of the environment. In contrast, people in food-producing societies control the production of either plants or animals. Food-producing societies tend to be sedentary; they live in larger groups than foragers and have more complex social and political structures. The most common form of horticulture is slash-and-burn cultivation, which relies on human power and has limited productivity yield. Another subsistence system is pastoralism,
the managing of herds of animals. Many pastoralist societies live at such high altitudes that little agricultural activity can occur. The Yolmo of Nepal, featured in the video, have crossbred cows with male yaks to produce zomo, a hybrid cattle species that is biologically adapted to live at high altitudes. Since life is so precarious, the Yolmo must exploit the seasonal environments and supplement their diet and economy by practicing horticulture at the lower altitudes. Many pastoral groups
practice transhumance, the seasonal migration of herds and people in order to maximize grazing opportunities. Common to all subsistence systems is the need for water. Who controls the water is at the heart of human survival. In the postindustrial era, traditional subsistence activities have been relegated to hobbies, such as hunting, fishing, and berry-picking. The next time you ask, “What’s for dinner?” think about what it took to get food to your table. In Cultural Anthropology, subsistence strategies are the ways that people obtain food from their environment. There are five basic subsistence strategies: foraging, pastoralism, horticulture, agriculture, and industrialism. I’ll talk a little about each of these strategies in this blog post. ForagingForaging involves hunting for meat, fishing for fish, and gathering wild plants. People have been foragers for most of human history, and some groups are still foragers today. Most foragers use simple tools, like digging sticks and spears. But some foragers, such as those in the Arctic, use more complex technology. Most foragers rely mainly on gathering plants. But in some places, like the Arctic once again, people rely primarily on hunting. In most places, men do the hunting and women do the gathering, but in some places, women take part in hunting. Foraging requires a lot of knowledge of the environment. For example, you need to know which plants are edible and where they can be found, and which animals you can eat and how to track them. The Ju/’hoansi foragers live in southern Africa, and they know over 150 species of edible plants and more than 40 species of edible animals! PastoralismPastoralism involves taking care of domesticated herd animals, such as cattle, sheep, and goats. Here are some examples. In East Africa, pastoralists have cattle, and in North Africa they have camels. In southwestern Asia they raise sheep and goats, while in central Asia they raise yaks. Also, in the subarctic, pastoralists care for caribou and reindeer. The meat and dairy products from these animals provide food for the pastoralists. Also, most pastoralists trade their animal products with other groups of people to obtain grains and plants. There are two kinds of pastoralism: transhumant pastoralism and nomadic pastoralism. In transhumant pastoralism, the animals are moved to different pastures during the year, while the people live in a permanent village. In nomadic pastoralism, all the people move with the herds during the year–they do not have a permanent village. HorticultureHorticulture involves growing plants with simple technology, such as digging sticks and hoes. Many horticulturists use a method called swidden cultivation. This is where people clear fields and then burn them. The ash from burning the fields acts as a fertilizer. Horticulturists use these fields for a few years, and then let them lie fallow for awhile. Most horticulturists grow several crops, and they may obtain meat through hunting or raising animals. For example, the Lua’ of northern Thailand grow rice, corn, and yams. They also obtain meat through raising pigs, water buffalo, cattle, and chickens. AgricultureAgriculture involves growing plants with complex technology, such as plows and draft animals. Irrigation is used, which may involve irrigation terracing. This is a method of growing crops on the slopes of hills or mountains by creating graduated terraces. Agriculture is much more labor-intensive than horticulture, and is more of an investment financially. Horticulturalists grow food for their own families, while agriculturalists grow food both for their families and also for the society. Most agriculturalists are peasants, and they contribute part of their food production to the state, through things like rent and taxes. IndustrialismIndustrialism involves the production of goods and services, rather than the production of food. In the other types of subsistence strategies, most of the people spend their days producing food. But in societies with industrialism, only a small portion of the population is involved in producing food. The rest of the people tend to work for wages. Then, the wages are used to buy food and other goods and services. Learn More About Subsistence StrategiesWhat type of subsistence strategy does your culture use? Which strategy would you personally prefer to take part in? If you want to learn more about subsistence strategies, check out Palomar College’s articles at this link. Thanks for reading! How many types of subsistence are there?Subsistence agriculture can be classified into two types- Intensive subsistence agriculture and primitive subsistence agriculture. Q.
What are the 5 subsistence strategies?The five broad categories of subsistence patterns are foraging, horticulture, pastoralism, agriculture, and industrial food production.
What are the types of economic subsistence?In positioning this study, four types of subsistence economies are identified: nature-based, nonprofit-based, market-based, and hybrid. In addition, different types of subsistence markets are identified, namely, within community and cross community markets.
What is the primary mode of subsistence of the early human?Foraging. For roughly 90% of history, humans were foragers who used simple technology to gather, fish, and hunt wild food resources. Today only about a quarter million people living in marginal environments, e.g., deserts, the Arctic and topical forests, forage as their primary subsistence strategy.
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