Subsistence means any of the following:
minimal (or marginal) resources for subsisting; "social security provided only a bare subsistence" a means of surviving; "farming is a hard means of...
Subsistence gardening, is food growing done only to feed oneself and one's family. The word "subsistence" means, a means for sustaining life. You grow the food because you need it. The implication is...
Subsistence agriculture is that in which the farmers use or consume most of what they produce, rather than selling it in a market (commercial agriculture). Intensive subsistence agriculture refers to...