Question

These mothers instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants ... ("A Modest Proposal"; paragraph 1) Based on the context, the word "sustenance" most likely means

Answer 1

Food.
I think it’s food based of the actually definition of sustenance.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

sustenance means food or water. anything to keep life going