Surplus Food Production?

[Vasious]

Given that colonies seem to starve if local production is not sufficient, it seems we don't export food internally in the Empire?

Is this assumption correct?


Also does surplus food have any benefit?
Happiness, well fed people are happier?
Less ethical divergence, those than want for nothing don't question the status quo?
Loss of Productivity and an increase in health costs, due to gluttony?
Full planets can't grow so it wont be sending out migrants will it?

Wondering if we can have a breadbasket world if we get one with a lot of food tiles, or will we eventually have to mismatch the food tiles once we have enough food to feed the planet at max pop

Food after all doesn't just have to be about Population Growth as it is so often in 4x games, like pops are mere bacteria seeking more food to reproduced but forever content with the bare minimum of subsistence
Looking at Victoria 2 Pop have subsistence, everyday and luxury needs, surplus food could represent a shift from main food stuffs to cash crops/luxury foods.

not suggesting a separate resource, just that after everyone if feed by the nutritious blue/green algae spare agrarian land might be developed to move flavoursome food, botanical drugs, and alcohol ingredients

 

[Kordishal]

not suggesting a separate resource, just that after everyone if feed by the nutritious blue/green algae spare agrarian land might be developed to move flavoursome food, botanical drugs, and alcohol ingredients

Well I imagine that once a planet is full you can change some buildings to energy/minerals from food, so that you have exactly the amount you need. Would be interesting to know whether sectors will optimize stuff like that.

 

[dezuman]

As far as I got it more surplus food = faster growth.

I feel that the current system is rather fine, but I can see ways to improve it in my eyes. If for example there was a subsistence limit, below which starvation occurs, followed by a range which increases growth and happiness (slightly?), ended by a point where the pops won't consume any more and will instead export it somehow. Without some kind of trade/logistics expansion I guess there should be a simple model: All food not consumed locally is placed in a nation-wide pool which distributes first to starving planets and then to planets below the can't-eat-more-limit. If it can't satisfy a category entirely it'll divide it evenly percentage wise (So you have 6 food and two planet with a deficit of 4 respectively 8 food the first will get 2 food and the other 4).

Edit: To elaborate: The range between the starvation limit and the export threshold is supposed to represent both pops eating more than absolutely necessary and also the growing of seasoning and recreational crops, hence why it increases both pop growth and happiness.

Edit2: Maybe also divide it so that sectors first tries to satisfy their local need completely before handing any excess to the national pool. And also perhaps couple it with a policy that forces planets/sectors to hand *everything* over the starvation limit to the national pool. Combined with the ability to trade food like other resources that could lead to VERY interesting scenarios!

 

[jaredstanko]

im also curious about what happens with surplus food