What does irrigation do and how do I irrigate?

[Antmf]

I see some farm descriptions say not irrigated. What does this mean what effect does this have and how can I irrigate the tile? Also how come I can't lay a farm in some tiles? It says "requires Civil Service" or something like that. Thanks...

 

[Solid]

A farm needs direct acces to fresh water untill Civil Service. With CS you can chain farms. (Build them next to another). When you researched Biology you can place a farm on any tile you like.

 

[MangleMeElmo]

An irrigated farm is one that is adjacent to a source of fresh water (irrigated farms get +1 food). Civil Service allows farms to spread irrigation, meaning that every irrigated farm itself becomes a source of fresh water in effect. You can then build farms in a chain in order to spread irrigation to a city that is not located near a source of fresh water.

 

[obsolete]

When you researched Biology you can place a farm on any tile you like.

There are some terrain (like tundra) which won't let you build farms on them. Though, you can get away with a waterwheel.

 

[MrCynical]

Initially you can only build farms on grassland, plains, floodplain or tundra that is directly adjacent to fresh water (a river or lake). When you invent civil service you can build farms adjacent to each other, as long as the chain starts at fresh water. (N.B. While you can farm riverside tundra, you can never build farms on tundra which is not adjacent to fresh water).

With biology you can build farms on any flat land except snow, desert, and non-riverside tundra. It's still worth ensuring the farms are irrigated at this stage, by having the chain connect to fresh water, as they then generate two extra food instead of one once you have biology.

 

[Martinus]

Also, "not irrigated" most likely means that when you were building a farm post-Civil-Service, you built it next to another farm, rather than directly next to a water source, and later you removed (e.g. pillaged, destroyed or built something else over) your "connecting" farm - as a result the "not irrigated" farm lost connection to water and lost its farm qualities (it now works as if it was an undeveloped square until you restore the connection or research Biology).

 

[Andrei_V]

Not irrigated means you lost access to fresh water after building the farm (e.g. by building something over one of the farms providing chain-irrigation), or built it with no access to fresh water after Biology. It means 1 less food.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

It's always a good idea to chain irrigation to your unirrigated farm specials if possible (i.e. ones not next to a water source, these turn up unirrigated a lot I find - corn, wheat and rice), they get the 1 extra food as well.

In my last game I had to farm over some silk tiles to chain irigation to a low food city so it could work some cottages and mines, otherwise it would have been stuck at about size 5 all game.

It makes sense to plan cottage placement carefully so as to leave a path for chain irrigation. You don't want to have to farm over your mature cottages when you realise you won't be able to grow the city otherwise.

 

[manu-fan]

You're probably seeing 'Not irrigated' on wheat and rice and corn that you've built farms on that are not directly adjacent to fresh water. It allows you to build farms there, but will have 1 less food than if it was irrigated.

Cheers.

 

[Welnic]

^^^^ finally!

 

[svv]

One more thing, city squares will also chain irrigation, when they are built on flat land.

 

[EEE_BOY]

irrigation also needs culture border to cover in order to give 1 extra food.