In good wadis, which are occasionally watered by streams, farmers can harvest corn twice a year and wheat once. Frequently, Kanembu farmers have a surplus of grain, which they export north by camel and across Lake Chad to Nigeria by canoe. In the north, some are semi-nomadic, migrating for brief periods with their cattle. In the center and southern areas, they are settled farmers, raising livestock and growing millet on ground fertilized by the manure of their cattle. The Liwa region contains natron, a mineral that is useful for washing and bleaching textiles.
Laborers extract the mineral for export and the villagers use it to salt their food.
The only markets are located in small, undeveloped villages. The Kanembu have a stable social structure. Each village has a secular chief and a religious leader who provide material and spiritual guidance. They live in straw huts that are built near sandy depressions where water collects. Although some young boys travel to Borno to attend Islamic high schools, most Kanembu are illiterate.