Research Basic Agriculture, open Build → Agriculture, place the Farm on flat settlement ground, and confirm a settler can reach the work position without being blocked by a higher-priority task. Sow Oats or Dustroot (300 work to sow), wait through four growth stages, harvest at maturity, then send the harvest through the Cooking Workstation. Cooked meals double nutritional value and avoid the 15% Food Poisoning chance on raw food.
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How to unlock farming
Research Basic Agriculture. Open Build → Agriculture. Place the Farm on flat settlement ground. Confirm a settler can reach the work position without being blocked by a higher-priority task. Without Basic Agriculture, the Farm will not show in the build menu. Without a reachable work position, an assigned settler will idle on the Farm and produce nothing.
Crops and sowing
| Crop | Seed | Sowing work | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Oats | Oats seed | 300 work | Documented crop. |
Dustroot | Dustroot seed | 300 work | Documented crop. |
The farming → cooking → eating loop
Sow a crop with the seed item. Wait for four growth stages to complete. Harvest at maturity (mature harvests yield more than early picks). Send the harvest through the Mediocre Dining Room / Cooking Workstation to make rations or cooked meals. Feed cooked meals to settlers to avoid the 15% Food Poisoning chance on raw food. Farming does not bypass the kitchen — cooked meals double nutritional value and avoid Food Poisoning, so eating raw, even from your own field, still carries the debuff risk.
What blocks a Farm worker
A worker must be able to reach the work position without being blocked by a higher-priority task. Common blocks: the settler is assigned to a higher-priority job (e.g. Cooking priority 1 for your highest-skill chef); the path to the Farm is blocked by a structure or unfinished wall; or the settler is currently recovering in bed (24-hour bed rest). If a Farm is producing nothing, check whether the assigned worker can actually walk to it.