Inhabitants of early areas in current Uganda were pre-dominantly hunter gatherers but their society slowly evolved into one of domestic farming especially in the Southern part of the country while the Northern Part of the country was dominated by pastoralists and nomads. Families owned land and they tilled and cultivated it with the families. As the cultures of Uganda were all patrilineal and polygamous, families depended on their large family networks to cultivate the land and produce food crops to feed their familes. In addition, families also tended to domestic animals like cattle, goats, sheep, chicken and ducks.

Farming of both crops and animals was mainly done for domestic consumption and only surplus was traded on market days with other families and communities in the form of barter trade where one family exchanged an item they had for one they didn’t have. Communities mainly exchanges crops and animals.