Subsistence and Economy

Part 1

The benefits of being a hunter gatherer are that these people have a more balanced diet and they are not affected by famines as severely as farmers are. They have lots of leisure time and do not live the typical poverty filled lives that people like to think. Another benefit is food sharing. When hunter gathers hunt, they do not keep for themselves what they find but instead share it with those in their community. In turn when another hunter comes back with food, he will share with them in return. Lastly, because of the nature of the hunter gatherer lifestyle, men and women’s roles are not fixed. Sometimes in these communities, the woman will be the one providing most of the food for her family, not because the man is lazy but because that is simply how it works.

The benefits of agriculture are that settlements arose because people could no longer wander around from place to place but had to stay where they planted their food. Because of the surplus of food, other people who were not needed to help run the farm could focus on developing farming equipment. Because of agriculture, societies became organized and tools, pottery and houses were created. Lastly, agriculture caused people to be able to grow things that could not normally be found in the area they lived in providing more of a variety to their diet and any surplus they had could be traded for those things they could not produce but others could.

The disadvantages of being a hunter gatherer is that you are completely dependant on the earth for survival, what the earth provides you eat. If there is no food, you go hungry. You have to be in constant search for food because of this lifestyle and you cannot stockpile. You are always moving and therefore have to be in constant search of food.

The disadvantages of agriculture is that it is dominated by more powerful  groups and markets which makes it so farmers do not have as much control. Weather also poses a problem for the farmer as does the problem of having to find a way to get water to your crops.

I believe that the hunter gatherer subsistence provides a healthier way of life. They do not find themselves with a surplus of food; therefore, they will not have problems with over indulging. They gatherer only as much as they need. They also have a wide variety of food because of how much they move around. They will have a more balanced diet.

Humans transitioned to agriculture because tools were developed and animals and plants were domesticated so they could use them to their advantage. And once these people started to plant crops, they could no longer have a mobile way of life because crops have to be tended and watched.

 Part 2

There is a direct relationship between the availability of surplus and the ability to trade because without surplus, there would be nothing to trade. People from economic systems where trading is the foundation of their livelihood, depend upon the extra that they will have as a means of trading and obtaining goods they cannot produce themselves.

The first social benefit of trade is that it is a means of obtaining things that you would otherwise not been able to obtain. In trade markets people from different areas come together and trade for things that they might not be able to produce on their own. The second benefit is that you create relationships and social ties with those you trade with. You broaden your horizons and create relationships with people who might in the future be able to help or assist you should you need it in the future.

The first negative result of trade is that you are not a self sufficient people because you rely on others for the things you do not have. You are in a sense, at their mercy just like they are at yours. The second negative result is that there is an easier opportunity to be taken advantage of. Because you are trading different objects if could be hard to determine what is an equal trade, especially if there is a language barrier. One group of people might try to take advantage of another by not “giving” as much as they are “receiving.”

Because of the development of agriculture, there has been something to trade! When people started planting gardens and farming land, they could control how much food they produced and therefore have a surplus which they were able to trade with.