Vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, okra, and potatoes are also raised on smaller plots or in vegetable gardens. Since individual farms are worked only by family members, many children are desired. The head of the household distributes fields to each of the family members for cultivation. In addition to farming, the Zerma raise chickens and some cattle, although the cattle are usually only slaughtered and eaten during religious ceremonies and festivals. A typical village house is either round with mud walls or is rectangular with walls made of sun-dried mud bricks.
Most houses have straw thatched roofs.
The oldest male is the head of the house. When a man has more than one wife, each wife has a separate dwelling for her and her children. Zerma children are basically timid. A shameful expression is expected when they are conversing with superiors, and they tend to look down when called. By the age of six, children are expected to know the difference between right and wrong.