How can I better explain "cultivation continuum"?

Question

explaining "cultivation continuum" making clear what differentiates one end of the continuum from the other.

Answer 1

There is a notion that early cultures of the world cannot and should not be categorized into a dichotomy of hunter-gatherers vs. plant-cultivators because these societies did not 'do' just the hunting thing or just the planting thing, but all developed some aspects of both.  In fact, hunting-gathering and cultivation usually coexisted in most societies and competed with each other.  Societies lined up on a spectrum -- a continuum -- based on what percentage of its foodstuff was obtained through artificial growth, husbandry, and collection.  Even modern Western society, with its well-developed system of massive-scale agriculture and distribution, cannot be classified as a pure cultivator.  This is because we still hunt most of the fish and seafood we eat.