Farming produces food, a critical resource, allowing you to sustain your population levels on the planets you control. The first Master of Orion uses planetary production to reflect the total production of a planet.
Master of Orion II
In order to produce food, you require a planet with at least a minimal support for life. Toxic, barren, or radiated planets do not support any farming at all, unless terraformed or provided with hydroponic farms.
Basic farming
The basic size of farming operations is determined by the planet. Aforementioned dead environments preclude natural farming. However, from desert worlds up, it becomes more viable:
- Desert, arid, and tundra planets limit production to 1 unit of food per farmer.
- Ocean, swamp, and terran planets have the baseline level of production: 2 units per farmer.
- Gaia planets produce the maximum basic amount of food per farmer: 3 units.
Advanced farming
Farming production modifiers increase or decrease the amount of food each unit of population assigned to agriculture can grow. Like those for population growth, the farming modifiers affect the base that the effects of a planet's terrain and pollution are applied to. A farming bonus represents long familiarity with agriculture, resulting in effective techniques, while a penalty represents a simple lack of farming aptitude.