Agriculture spurs agriculture demand...

[armyofone1890]

Hello again!

I've noticed that agriculture demand actually goes up when I build farms...that seems a little backwards to me.  Anyone have any ideas why this is happening?

[cogeo]

I don't think so! Most probably the increase in IR demand is actually due to an influx of R$. Did you check the Jobs and Population Graph (historical data for the last 5 or 10 yrs). IR demand actually has a quite easy-to-hit cap (at 30.000). RippleJet's Census Repository Vault lifts this cap.

I don't like farms, they are very polluting and employ relatively few sims (R$ of the lowest education level), and you will sooner or later need to dezone them, to make room for other development types.

[jmyers2043]

I've noticed that agriculture demand actually goes up when I build farms

Cogeo gives good advise. Farm demand is going up do to other influences. Robust R$ population is one, a neighbor connection is another. A lot like the Census repository is another but not enough to see the demand bar increase.  SimGoober irrigation canals (I think) has a property that increases farm demand but you have to plop a bunch of them to see any difference.

[Lowkee33]

Hmm, this post is a little redundant now...

I could see making farms increase farm demand.

Your uneducated R$ sims create farm demand at a ratio of 1 to 1.6 (for every 10 low EQ R$ sims, there would be demand for 16 IR jobs).  That said, by increasing your low EQ R$ population, you will never meet your IR demand.

Do you play with CAM installed?  I would recommend it, if only for the vast information that RippleJet has provided.  The main CAM thread can be found by clicking here.  The post most pertinent to your question is the Workforce and Occupation Demands (Drives).

To answer your question:  If your sims are having trouble getting to work and you make more farms, the occupancy of your houses may increase (thus increasing the population like Cogeo said).  If this happens, the R$ who just moved in, and now work at the new farm, will create 160% demand for farms.  In this way, making farms would increase farm demand.  Check to see if making new farms increased your pop.

If you feel like you have too many farms: you can build some schools and decrease the demand.

Also, there is such a thing as demand cap (I think that is the name for it).  Farms work differently than other building types.  The cap for farms is dependent on the capacity (maximum potential population) of the sum of all but R$ and C$ building types.  By increasing your capacity you will decrease IR demand.  To know your cap, and at what % you are using, try The Census Repository.

Generally, I would say to build farms until you feel like you have enough, and then move on to other things.  I like to say that each farming job creates food, and in that sense, limits the population my region can have.

[armyofone1890]

These are all very helpful posts, thank you!