Been there, done that...
In a perfect world... i.e. in a vacuum many of the original suggestions are very good, well thought-out and should do the trick. I believe, however, that some harsh realities will soon present themselves that you need to be equiped to deal with. Therefore, i have the following suggestions:
First off, local goats and sheep will eat whatever comes up even if no people come around thieving. GET A DOG. Dogs are everywhere so ask around for puppies or start feeding a stray.
Assuming you have seeds or can get them, PLANT SEEDS ASAP; of course now you need to protect them and soil to put them in:
Dried and pulverized cow dung does the job.
Do not procrastinate; it'll take months for your seeds to mature into harvest. They can be growing while you're digging.
PLANT THEM APPLE SEEDS YOU JUST FOUND IN THE APPLE YOU ATE or whatever fruit you find where you are. You know what Paul said, right? 20% of those seeds will produce good fruit and the rest you cut down as sacrificial trees as part of the soil you're building.
If you have to arrange food, you're going to be needing CALORIES. What contains most calories? Fats, then proteins. Since meat is 50% of each, you need ducks or rabbits or something similar. Without enough calories you will be hanging around all day like the locals...
If you aim to eat vegetarian or vegan, FORGET IT; you don't have that luxury in the situation you suggest. You can get back to vegetarianism or veganism when you've established a steady flow of fruit and stuff. Until then it's 'back to the stone age' with your dietary options.
Contrary to popular opinion apparently... Ignore the locals and keep them at arm's length. They will give you their ignorant opinions and distract you from what your own two eyes and permies knowhow are telling you. In the rare case they have something to offer, you'll recognize it as such and can go with it, but as a rule the locals will just be giving you the bs they themselves grew up with and you should be much better informed than they are. They will make you doubt yourself, particularly because they're so adamant and convinced of their own truths and because it's all of them against 'your crazy notions'. Better to keep contact to a minimum. Later, when you've proven to them and to yourself that you know what you're doing, you can relax a bit.
