Potato and Maize as trade goods

[Camarada78]

Potato and maize were fundamental aspects of culture and food in the Americas. Both contributed a lot to the population boom of Europe in the XVI and XVII, and the potato reached India and China through colonial powers and quickly became very important in the whole world.


POTATO
Category = Base
Provinces = only in North and Central Americas until the discovery of the new world
Base Price = 2
Trading in bonus = +10% National Manpower (due to easy upkeep vs. great nutritious value)

MAIZE
Category = Base
Base Price = 2
Provinces = only in South and Central Americas until the discovery of the new world
Trading in bonus = -10% stability cost (control the crops to control the peasantry).

 

[neondt]

I strongly approve of potato.

 

[victimizer]

I strongly potate of potato

 

[elpibeuruguayo]

+1

 

[balmung60]

I'm pretty sure both already fall under the umbrella of grain, which is basically any and all staple foods

 

[Zupanicarr]

I potato potato, potato.

 

[TheDecider]

A certain percentage of grain could be potato in the New World, with a suitable bonus attached.

Event, discovery of potato! flips X percentages of grain provinces into potato of the nation which discovers it. After a certain time fires same event for any neighbouring nation or which share seazone. perhaps limit the spread into suitable regions or climates.

 

[AmbroStoics]

Well, grain is an umbrella-category. For example Hungary's main export was livestock, but it only has grain provinces and the price of livestock and grain were definately not the same. So if we are going to add new food items, I suggest we start with a differentiated livestock/grain then we can move on to diffrentiating those. Though it might be too much. A universal potato event could fire, that gives all nations with grain provinces +5% manpower or something for flavour.

 

[megaspider01]

Maybe grain should be worth more? like .5 more or something

 

[Camarada78]

Nice suggestion, the Potato Event :-D

We got cocoa, why not some baked potatoes and a good popcorn?

 

[magnusvejby]

+1

 

[Mauer]

I strongly approve of maize, but only because it is delicious.

 

[Incompetent]

I like the idea of some European provinces flipping to potato. It did have a huge impact on European agriculture. That said, adoption of the potato in Europe was gradual, and it only really became a major staple food there towards the end of the 18th century.

I don't know if we need to distinguish between maize and old World cereals - they play a similar role in diet and grow in similar conditions.

I think you have north and south america mixed up by the way. The potato was domesticated by the Andean civilisations and was the staple crop of the Inca empire. Maize was domesticated in Mesoamerica, but was widespread throughout the Americas by the time of European contact.

 

[Al Davoodi]

But there should be if you convert a game from ck2 with sunset invasion in potatoes and other goods from the new world in Europe right from the start. Because in the story elements of ck2 it is written that these goods came to Europe in the middle ages after the aztec invasion, when you have sunset invasion in.

 

[moscal]

Nice, but this need mechanism 'changes goods' - Eg. province X at the beginning of game produces grain, but in the seventeenth century potatoes. Otherwise, it makes no sense.

 

[Karnak]

From wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_grain
After being harvested, dry grains are more durable than other staple foods such as starchy fruits such as plantains and breadfruit and tubers such as sweet potatoes and cassava. This durability has made grains well suited to industrial agriculture, since they can be mechanically harvested, transported by rail or ship, stored for long periods in silos, and milled for flour or pressed for oil. Thus, major global commodity markets exist for canola, maize, rice, soybeans, wheat, and other grains but not for tubers, vegetables, or other crops.

Trade goods are for trade. Grain stores and trades well, while potatoes don't.
The local trade good is what the local trade good is. What people grow and eat that is not a trade good is irrelevant.
It does not matter what era we are in, grains will always be the prime export for any province which is rich and fertile and not much else.

That said, there should be some type of world-wide event upon the discovery of potatoes.
Something like an increase in the price of grain, since now more of it can be grown and exported since the European staple has switched from bread to potatoes.
Potatoes are easy to grow, easy to prepare and can grow where grain can't. Potatoes were a revolution that is ill-represented in the game atm.

 

[Camarada78]

From wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_grain
After being harvested, dry grains are more durable than other staple foods such as starchy fruits such as plantains and breadfruit and tubers such as sweet potatoes and cassava. This durability has made grains well suited to industrial agriculture, since they can be mechanically harvested, transported by rail or ship, stored for long periods in silos, and milled for flour or pressed for oil. Thus, major global commodity markets exist for canola, maize, rice, soybeans, wheat, and other grains but not for tubers, vegetables, or other crops.

Trade goods are for trade. Grain stores and trades well, while potatoes don't.
The local trade good is what the local trade good is. What people grow and eat that is not a trade good is irrelevant.
It does not matter what era we are in, grains will always be the prime export for any province which is rich and fertile and not much else.

That said, there should be some type of world-wide event upon the discovery of potatoes.
Something like an increase in the price of grain, since now more of it can be grown and exported since the European staple has switched from bread to potatoes.
Potatoes are easy to grow, easy to prepare and can grow where grain can't. Potatoes were a revolution that is ill-represented in the game atm.

interesting points, but potato was traded in the south americas and it had an important role feeding troops and large populations, hence it should be a traded good and its bonus should affect manpower or population. A potato event should be nice too.

 

[lolada]

You can never have enough .... potatoes? -_-

I wouldn't mind more variety.

 

[Karnak]

You can never have enough .... potatoes? -_-
I wouldn't mind more variety.

Yeah, but adding variety in one area sets an example towards the rest of the system. Just as the game does not track sources of protein, it shouldn't track sources of carbs. The game does not care about these things.

interesting points, but potato was traded in the south americas and it had an important role feeding troops and large populations, hence it should be a traded good and its bonus should affect manpower or population. A potato event should be nice too.

Well potatoes in the south america were handled differently from europe. What they did was to squeeze the juices from the potatoes and leave them outside in frosty weather, so they'd become sort of freeze-dried.
This was only done in the absence of other crops that were able to grow in the poor soils and cold climate of north-western south america.