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The bororo economic system is characterized by a combination of the activities of gathering, hunting, fishing and agriculture. The process of contact has introduced new forms of social and economic relations, such as the possibility of finding a job, selling products ('arts and crafts') and retire. In any case, the activities the Bororo develop in their territory are still deeply marked by their knowledge of nature and of its potentialities and limitations.

The people who work together in a house also share the 'roça' (planting field). Men do most work in the 'roça': slashing, burning and weeding; women help only in planting and harvesting. Women are in charge of gathering honey, coconuts, fruits of the 'cerrado' and bird and turtle eggs. Children and sometimes husbands take part in such activities (Novaes,1986).

The most visible change brought about by contact was the disappearance of nomadic activities, Maguru, that used to be held during the dry season, when a substantial part of the village moved around in long trips of territorial exploration. Agricultural activity, on the other hand, was intensified, with the introduction of new techniques and new products.

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The Bororo are still expert hunters and fishermen, in spite of the increasing scarcity of animals caused by the environmental imbalances brought about by agricultural and livestock activities in the regions where they live. Both fishing and hunting, which are eminently masculine activities, are performed individually or collectively, and still have important places in the diet and in ceremonial foods, as well as in social relations, given the prestige accorded to good hunters/fishermen.

Slash and burn agriculture is practiced by the families in an average area of .5 hectare, which is used for three consecutive years and then left fallow for at least six years. Typical products are maize, rice, cassava, beans, pumpkin etc. Maize cultivation follows the orientations of the chief and certain supernatural sanctions, especially regarding the consumption of new corn, which requires a purification ceremony, Kuiada Paru. Nowadays some communities depend on technological innovations to produce. In the case of Meruri village, for instance, there is a great dependence on tractors for the clearing of the fields and the preparation of the soil.

Cattle raising is an activity still not very developed and not much adopted by the Bororo, but beef is already an important item in the diet, especially in Meruri village.