In the Gaddang culture, rice is the primary crop cultivated. The non-Christian Gaddang communities practice the kaingin system for farming, while those who have converted to Christianity irrigate their fields and use plowing methods. During the rice-growing season called abafini, which spans from July to December, upland Gaddang plant rice and other crops are planted during the mamula season, from January to July. However, the rice harvested in the uplands is mainly for domestic consumption and often falls short for the entire year. Alongside rice, they cultivate a variety of crops including sweet potato, mung bean, cowpea, sponge gourd, garlic, tomato, millet, bananas, yams, taro, jute, bitter melon, swamp cabbage, spineless amaranth, leaf mustard, red pepper, papaya, and sugarcane. The only cash crop they grow for sale in the lowlands is tobacco, and they also collect bamboo. The proceeds from tobacco sales are used to buy rice and other commercial products like gin. Both rice and gin are stockpiled due to their significance in rituals.

Apart from farming, upland Gaddang engage in hunting, trapping, and fishing to supplement their diet. They also raise pigs and chickens for food and as sacrificial animals in their rituals. Water buffalos owned by upland Gaddang are not used for fieldwork but are rented out to lowlanders seasonally, and the income is used to purchase additional rice. On the other hand, lowland Gaddang employ more advanced farming techniques and follow two distinct planting seasons, rice-corn season from April to October, and tobacco season from October to March, which yield greater commercial returns. However, the profitability of cash crops has led to a decrease in rice cultivation among lowland Gaddang.

The introduction of plow farming in the lowlands has brought about land ownership issues, a concern less prominent among upland Gaddang who focus more on agricultural productivity and favorable signs. Additionally, while uplanders rely on forest resources for food, lowlanders primarily fish, with traditional methods involving poles and lines for women and nets and spears for men. Dynamite fishing represents a modern adaptation in fishing practices.