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One of the most obvious things about growing and farming is that
not every plant is suitable for every different climate. Many plants
do better than others in humid areas, while some are able to
survive with less competition. Here I’ll look at what plants grow
where, what’s common for different times, and how agriculture
might inspire the cuisine of native civilizations.
Tropical (Wet, Hot, Humid): As one website put it, “Growing
tropical vegetables is an easy recipe for success when growing
vegetables in the tropics.” [Gee, Thanks!] However, this remains
good advice, I suppose. Certain plants grow better in certain areas.
Growing things in such a climate presents multiple challenges;
first, there will be a lot of competition for crops. This means the
best crops are able to make do with less room. Second, bugs that
destroy plants thrive in these areas, preventing leafy or delicate
plants from prospering. You’ll also find an increased amount of water
in these tropical areas, but it comes from off-and-on sources. The
plants on Barbados have to be capable of withstanding the brief
rains and dry periods; the rain briefly floods the island, and then
drains down through the rocks. Tea, Rice, Rubber (trees), and other
crops that demand moisture are grown in Southeast Asia and in some
parts of South America.
Desert: I think we all know what a desert is like! Desert plants have
to survive with extremely limited amounts of water and hot
temperatures. But don’t fool yourself in assuming the desert is
completely barren (I guess it depends on the desert): picture.
However, the desert remains an unsuitable place for agriculture, for
the most part; farming in Ancient Egypt mostly happened along the
Nile and at the delta.
(For a great desert map, check out the Sultanate of Sharessan map by - Max -)
However, the area you are mapping may not be a classic example of
a biome. If it is, you probably already have a good idea of the plant
life in the region. In addition, recent technology has made it more
possible to grow different types of plants everywhere!
To help convey this information, I thought I’d use two different types of
resources, and combine them into one! Each crop is a link; click the link
to bring up a map of where each crop is from. We like maps here at the
Cartographers Guild! Please note similar crops, and also note the
general climates of the areas in which they grow.
Links (MAPS! Woot):
TEA
COFFEE (Top ten producers are yellow)
RICE
MAIZE
TOMATOES
APPLES
POTATOES
SOYBEANS
HAY
COTTON
WHEAT
BANANAS AND PLANTAINS
CASSAVA
SWEET POTATOES
SORGHUM
Additional Resources:
10 Most Useful Crops This is my main resource, so you’ll find what this
website says to be stated here.
World Map of Water Usage for Agriculture This map shows each country’s
water usage for agriculture for the year 2001.
Koppen Climate The map of the world’s climate.
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If you’re using this for a project, please check my research with some of
your own. There’s a chance I jumbled something up here. Let me know
if I did; I’ll edit it.
If you have a further question or such, ask it! Send me information and
I might edit it into this post. The goal of this thread is to be a hub of
resources for the making of scientifically accurate maps
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