Subsistence farmers, fishers, hunters and gatherers grow and harvest field or tree and shrub crops, vegetables and fruit; gather wild fruits, medicinal and other plants; tend or hunt animals; catch fish and gather various forms of aquatic life in order to provide food, shelter and, in some cases,  a minimum of cash income for themselves and their households. Competent performance in most occupations in this sub-major group requires skills at the second ISCO skill level.
Tasks performed by workers in this sub-major group usually include: preparing the soil; sowing, planting, tending and harvesting field crops; growing vegetables, fruit and other tree and shrub crops; gathering wild fruits, medicinal and other plants; breeding, tending and feeding animals and poultry mainly to obtain meat, eggs, milk, hair, skin or other products;  hunting or trapping animals; catching fish and gathering other forms of aquatic life; fetching water and gathering firewood; storing produce for later use and carrying out some processing of produce; building and maintaining houses and other shelters; making tools, clothes and utensils for use by the household; selling or bartering some products at local markets.
Occupations in this sub-major group are classified into the following minor groups:

• Subsistence Crop Farmers
• Subsistence Livestock Farmers
• Subsistence Mixed Crop and Livestock Farmers
• Subsistence Fishers, Hunters, Trappers and Gatherers