Personal harvesting is any harvesting activity primarily intended to benefit individuals or households for sustenance. Personal harvesting can include economic activity provided it is limited to the household level (e.g., household food economy, food sharing, etc.). An example of personal harvesting could be the harvest of raspberries or fish for personal consumption.

Commercial harvesting is any harvesting activity carried out for the specific purpose of generating economic benefit from the sale or trade of the harvested food. Commercial harvesting tends to occur in greater quantities than personal harvesting, although not always. An example of this could be the harvest and sale of wild blueberries or various varieties of mushroom.

Recreational harvesting includes harvesting activities that are non-commercial in nature, and for a primary purpose other than consumption. Examples of this might include sport fishing or harvesting for educational purposes.