Farmers in Runber

"The Runberi princes believe that their realms are the realms of traders and artisans, when in truth they rule over realms of farmers. The production of grain stands at the foundation of everything they do. Such is the case in every state in the Prime."

— Ginead Synnde in his memoir "Minister, Emperor".

The 23 Emirates of Runber are led by the sea-going merchants, the wealthy. The lesser towns are much the same, holding assemblies composed of those with wealth, usually wealth borne of trade. The wealth held by these families and the emirates' and their assemblies' focus on maritime policy, trade, and shipping masks an important fact about the Runberi. Most are farmers. Though Runber is relatively urbanized, most people still live in villages and homesteads dotting the relatively fertile northern Runberi coast. Largely taken for granted by those that rule over them, the farmers of Runber are paid little regard unless they stop bringing their produce to the market squares of the great cities that are the considered the heart of Runber.

Farming and Farmers

The great mass of Runberi peasants live in family farms, multigenerational homesteads gathered in villages, usually owning a small slice of land. The Temple of Nuwa is powerful in these communities, as the sheikhs and emirs of the cities and towns usually pay them little mind. Content to tax them modestly and ensure the price of grain remains low in the markets, these farmers bring their produce to market and then go back, otherwise unseen by the mighty among the Runberi. As halfings eat much less than members of the larger races, the growth of cities in Runber has been comparatively faster. Fewer Runberi are needed to produce food for those who do not, even if farmers still account for a great majority of all Runberi. Occasionally, an agricultural invention such as a new tool, a new form of fertilizer or method of crop rotation will come along, increasing the yields of the farmers. Then, the price of grain will fall further, and an even greater number of the excess sons and daughters of the villages and homesteads move to the cities to make a new living.
Most Runberi farmers operate small, mixed plots. Growing wheat, barley, and flax, along with date palms and grapes and whatever root vegetables they can get their hands on, the Runberi that till the soil are used to getting the most out of their small plots of land. The use of draught animals is common, sometimes owned in common by villages.

Type

Agricultural / Fishing / Forestry