What term describes the practice of humans who relied on foraging until about 10,000 years ago?

The practice in question, where humans relied on foraging, is accurately described by the term foraging. This term specifically refers to the gathering of wild plants, hunting, and fishing to obtain food, which characterized most human societies before the advent of agriculture roughly 10,000 years ago. Foraging represents a subsistence strategy that is based on exploiting the natural resources available in the environment without cultivating crops or domesticating animals.

The other terms—agriculture, horticulture, and pastoralism—represent different methods of obtaining food that emerged after the foraging lifestyle. Agriculture involves the systematic cultivation of crops and can include large-scale farming, while horticulture typically refers to small-scale gardening practices. Pastoralism pertains specifically to the herding and breeding of animals. Thus, foraging is the most accurate descriptor of the food acquisition practices of humans before the transition to agricultural societies.