Final answer:
Horticultural practices with pastoral elements in societies with kinship-based organization and minimal gender hierarchy refer to an adaptive strategy with shifting cultivation. These societies may progress towards more hierarchy with the development of intensive farming techniques.
Step-by-step explanation:
The adaptive strategy that involves shifting cultivation and corresponds with ranked societies based on kinship with minimal gender hierarchy refers to horticultural practices combined with pastoral elements. In these societies, such as those of the Bantu or Kayapó, there is a reliance on plant cultivation along with seasonal herding or hunting to support the community. Kinship systems, which are highly adaptive, play a crucial role in the organization of these societies by helping to establish households, produce offspring, and form alliances. Extended families often make up these communities, each led by elders or family leaders, where decision-making tends to be more communal and based on discussion among these leaders. While these societies may not have a strict hierarchical structure, the development of intensive farming techniques, such as irrigation systems, can lead to a more pronounced accumulation of wealth and emergence of specialized roles, thus creating more distinct levels of hierarchy within the community.