Because of their nomadic lifestyle, Old Stone Age people built temporary homes, rather than permanent homes. ... Old Stone Age people had two ways of obtaining food, by hunting and gathering. Gathering is finding wild berries and other plants to eat. We sometimes call these people hunter-gatherers. Farming during the late Neolithic period of the Stone Age had the effected humans by allowing them to lead a more settled lifestyle. When early humans began farming, they were able to produce enough food that they no longer had to migrate to their food source. This meant they could build permanent structures, and develop villages, towns, and eventually even cities. Closely connected to the rise of settled societies was an increase in population.