What was one difference between hunter-gatherer societies and early farming societies? Villagers spent most of their time doing things other than farming, while hunter-gatherers spent most of their time getting food. Hunter-gatherers brought food back to their settlements from far away, while villagers did their farming close to their settlements. Hunter-gatherers moved around to find sources of food, while villagers settled in one place to grow food, trade, and specialize. Villagers learned to build permanent homes while hunter-gatherers had to seek shelter in nearby villages to survive bad weather.