This study examined possible relationships between food sharing practices, subsistence strategies, and various environmental settings using 22 small-scale societies across America and Siberia. After performing exploratory analyses between each of the 21 socio-economic variables and the 14 basic sharing practices, which amounted to a total of 294 tests, the researchers found hardly any statistically significant relationships.

In this study, the authors analyze subsistence economies to better understand their variability and success, the role of the environment in different subsistence choices, and the relevance of fishing, specifically in mixed economies. They find regular subsistence patterns, suggesting that not all subsistence combinations are successful. Their findings also indicate that environment influences subsistence choice, mixed economies are common, and that fishing plays a key role in mixed economies.