What is the definition for subsistence economy?

A subsistence economy, is an economy in which the people barely meet their everyday needs. It is often seen as a major factor for poverty in developing nations. This is because the people of the society do not trade with other groups, this may be for a vary of reasons but a major one being their isolation. If the people of the society do not produce enough food, or not a variety the people will become sick and contract disease. This type of living is poverty.

The people also do not have everyday items that we take for granted, such as ipods, TV's, computers, fashionable clothes and shopping malls. This is because the people do not produce enough surplus to trade with, sometimes not even producing a surplus at all.