User Guide

Fertility has no effect on the length of the growing
season.
Even irrigated farms must still be built on arable land.
Irrigation can increase the fertility of land, but it can-
not make infertile land fertile.
CCrroopp TTyyppeess
Egypt can grow many types of crops. Most locations,
however, can only support a few different types, and
some desert areas can grow nothing at all and must
import all their food. Some farms grow foodstuffs that
will keep citizens fed while other farms grow crops
which are used for raw materials.
The foods grown on farms are grain, chickpeas, lettuce,
pomegranates and figs. Grain Farms also produce
straw as a by-product, which is used in the manufac-
ture of bricks (see page 76) and also to feed cattle (see
page 67). The other raw materials produced on farms
are barley and flax. Barley Farms grow barley that is
brewed into beer (see page 76), and Flax Farms pro-
duce flax that is woven into linen (see page 76).
OOtthheerr FFoooodd SSoouurrcceess
Egypt’s bounty isn’t limited to what can be produced
on farms. Many regions have an abundance of wildlife
that can be hunted. The Nile’s waters, essential to the
success of farms, also teem with fish. And, cattle can
be raised for the meat they provide. Here’s what you’ll
need to do to take advantage of these resources:
Hunting.
Animals that can be hunted live in herds
or flocks. If you notice a herd or flock of one of
the types of animals listed below, build a Hunting
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Farming and Food Production
ductivity — of farmland through irrigation. Irrigation
can turn land that yields little into land that can sup-
port a productive farm. Both floodplain and meadow
farmland can be irrigated.
To bring the benefits of irrigation to a farm, run an
Irrigation Ditch to within two spaces of it. The effects
of irrigation are not cumulative; as long as there is one
Irrigation Ditch within two spaces of a farm, the farm is
fully irrigated.
Floodplain farms are at the water’s level
where Irrigation Ditches can be connect-
ed directly to the Nile. Meadow farms,
however, are not at the water’s level. To
irrigate meadow farms, you must build a
Water Lift.
Water Lifts bring water up one level. They
can be built on land adjacent to a body of
water or to the flood plain. For Water Lifts
built adjacent to the flood plain, you must
build an Irrigation Ditch running from the
Nile to the front of the Water Lift to
supply it with water.
Attach an Irrigation Ditch to the back
of the Water Lift to irrigate mead-
ow farms. Irrigation Ditches twist
and turn around all objects that
impede their path except for roads.
Irrigation Ditches automatically run
under roads as needed.
Increasing the fertility of its land will
increase the amount of food a farm yields.
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Farming and Food Production
Hunting Lodge
Water Lift