This video will include all the information in this guide, but will also show you where to find different things. Handy! I recommend you watch it first.

A good amount of food is essential to run a decent economy. Having a negative food surplus (more food spent than produced) causes several negative effects which you don't want to get. You must understand that there are 2 types of food shortages. A faction-wide shortage occurs when the total amount of food you use is less than the total amount of food you get. A provincial food shortage occurs when the total amount of food your province uses is higher than what it produces. Your faction-wide surplus is still positive in this case.

A faction-wide food shortage will give the following penalties:
- Armies suffer attrition in all provinces with a food shortage. (They won't suffer attrition in provinces with a positive food surplus)
- Armies will not replenish in all provinces with a food shortage. (They will replenish in provinces with a positive food surplus)
- -2 Integrity for all armies
- Negative penalties for replenishment and growth
- Provinces with a food shortage get -25% wealth and a decrease of public order.

A provincial food shortage will give you the following penalties:
- The province will gain -25% wealth from all sources.
- A decrease of public order.

Having a positive food surplus (no food shortage) will give you small bonusses to growth and replenishment.

You don't want these penalties. They can cripple your economy and your armies. So, why do you need food? To avoid negative penalties is the answer!

Probably the most important thing, getting a good amount of food. There are several ways to do it.

Buildings

The main way of getting food is through buildings. There are various buildings that supply food like farms, fields, fishing ports and granaries. Buildings can produce food in two different ways. A "steady/permanent" amount of food and a number of food based on the local fertility level.

Buildings that have something like: +30 food from animal husbandry or +20 fod from farming will always produce this amount of food. Fertility has nothing to do with this.

Other buildings have something like: +10 food for every local fertility level. This is obviously were fertility comes in. All regions start off with a fertility rank between 1 and 5. This level cannot be changed. Only the automatic event "Climate Change" that will hapen every couple of years will decrease fertilty by 1 point. In this example you would get 10 food for every fertility level. Example: Scandza has a fertility level 3. The building wil produce 3x10=30 food. After climate change the building will produce 2x10=20 food.

It is wise to build the "steady" buildings in regions with low ferility levels. The food per fertility buildings are better in regions with high fertility levels. Keep in mind that your food will suffer a mass drop when climate change occurs.

Other things that give small amounts of food are:
- The season autumn gives you 14 food for each province
- Raiding will give you a small amount of food
- There are various traits, skills and ancilliaries that give you food.
- Random events

There are several things that will decrease your amount of food:
- Buildings are the main consumers of food. Most buildings in the game will have this, especially late-game ones.
- Raiding enemies in your regions will use a small amount of your food
- Hordes in your province will always take some of your food, no matter the diplomatic relations with them.
- Devestation from battles. This happens when settlements get razed, sacked or besieged.
- Rivalry. This only happens for migrating/horde factions. Positioning 2 hordes in the same province will bring a food penalty of 15 per army. Quite significant so watch out!

You want to get rid of food problems as soon as you can. The effects can cripple your economy and the attrition will destroy your armies which may become the source of losing your campaign. You can do these things to get rid of a food shortage:

- Demolish buildings that consume food. You can demolish a building in 1 turn which makes it a quick way to end your problems. This may cause economical problems though, and it may take some time to rebuild the building again.
- Disable tax rates. Disabling tax rates for a province will exclude all the consumed and produced food in a province. This can be done instantly in the same turn. It will cost you a good amount of income and isn't a good solution for the long-term.
- Build food-producing buildings. A good way of solving your problem for the long-term, but buildings take time to create. A lot of time.
- Raiding will give you a small bonus which can help in some cases.
- Maybe you have some unused skills that you can spend on things that give you food!

I mostly recommend trying out the first two points. They are usually the most effective ones. Another tip is to make sure you have a decent food surplus. Random events and other surprises may lower your food and you don't want a food shortage while you're busy managing other stuff.

Hopefully you found it useful. Have a nice day.