The Hardworking Life of the Fantasy Farmer

The fields are where the fantasy farmer works. The brown-colored house has smoke billowing forth from its chimney and the red barn sits on the other side of the fence. The grass and hills are orange, signifying that it is autumn. Above the mountains is the green sky with white clouds.
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Sunfire

CONTENTS

The Premise

An imaginary world is packed to the brim with all kinds of occupations with each one contributing to it in some capacity. Out of all jobs, none are more important than that of the fantasy farmer. From dawn to dusk, he is hard at work, growing food that will eventually be sold to the markets across the kingdom in his fields.

A farmer has tons of activities to do everyday throughout the year, even in wintertime. He is focused on growing the best possible crops so that they can be sold at a high price, thereby netting him a nice profit that he can use to plant more seeds the next year. During the cold months, he is already making plans for the springtime, deciding what crops he’ll grow and the fields he’ll plant them in.

In order to become a fantasy farmer, there are several important considerations to take into account. After all, farm life is not for everyone; only those suitable for it ought to go for it. Those who are willing to put in a long day’s work and don’t mind getting dirt under their fingernails are prime candidates.

The average work day of a farmer is longer than that of most occupations, for there is no set number of hours. It begins before dawn when the farmer wakes up from bed to get ready for the day and ends shortly after the sun’s gone down as he wraps up what’s left to do for the day. It repeats over and over again.

The fantasy farmer is one of the most important occupations in the world, for he is feeding the world. Through steadfast dedication and hard work, he is growing food that other people will eat and in return, he makes money by selling the crops he worked on all year long while keeping just enough for himself and his family.

This is article number two in the fantasy occupations series, if you’d like to peruse what else we have, there’s plenty more for you on our blog page!

How to Become a Fantasy Farmer

Being a farmer is not for everyone. In fact, it is one of the toughest jobs in the world and with that job comes a smorgasbord of responsibilities that he has no choice but to be fully committed to. Thus, it is imperative that those who can best handle all these responsibilities go into this career.

When determining who in a fantasy world ought to be a farmer, there are several requisite elements to take into consideration. One of them is a eager willingness to work hard. From planting seeds to harvesting them, a farmer works practically all day for many months. Those who don’t have the inclination to do this should look for another career.

A series of 12 oval clouds in the blue sky. Each cloud has a question mark inside and the marks are colored either red, yellow, or green. The question marks symbolize the narrative hook to get readers invested in your story.

The career of the farmer is physical-oriented. A fantasy farmer uses his hands and his body all day, doing many things throughout the day before going to bed. People who like working with their hands and enjoy physical labor are good candidates for this career, not those who aren’t interested in this type of work.

The vast majority of all farming tasks takes place outside. From removing dead plants to ensuring that they get adequate water, the farmer spends nearly the whole day outside. People who love being outside are perfect for this, not those who would rather be inside all day.

One critical element of being a fantasy farmer is getting up early and working late. There are simply too many things to do and starting the workday at noon just won’t cut it, especially in summertime when it starts to get too hot to be outside all day. The farmer has no choice but to be an early riser so he can get a good start on what he needs to do that day. This means people who enjoy sleeping in or work during nighttime should definitely not go for the farming life.

The Chores of a Fantasy Farmer

Though there are only four seasons — at least in many fantasy worlds — what the farmer does that day depends on what time of year it is. Regardless of what season it is, a farmer’s workday exceeds that of many other jobs. As such, he has a plethora of things to do everyday and most of the time, he is working with his family, whether it be his siblings who live nearby or his children who he is teaching how to be farmers.

After rising from bed and eating breakfast either at or before the break of dawn, the fantasy farmer goes to work. His commute is only a few minutes as he walks from his home to the fields where he checks on the plants out in the fields. What he does depends on the season it is; in springtime, he’s planting them, in the summer he waters them so that they don’t get parched from the heat, and in the fall he harvests them.

Fertilizing plants is an important part of growing quality crops. The farmer sprinkles fertilizer on his crops when they need it so they can thrive. Just as there are many different types of plants, there are many various kinds of fertilizer so he has to choose the best possible one he can afford without breaking the bank.

Creating a fantasy character means you're starting from scratch. A black outline of a character stands in the middle of a purple gradient background with a red question mark in front of him.

Unfortunately not every seed the fantasy farmer plants will mature. Some just won’t grow or are consumed by bugs or pesky critters. He’ll have to remove them to reduce the chances of more plants dying. The more plants that perish, the less money he’ll make when selling them in the fall.

The farmer is at war with animals and bugs who enjoy feasting on plants. He typically has a scarecrow to ward off crows and other birds and sprinkles some chemicals around his fields, hoping that their horrible smell will deter animals from going into his fields. In extreme cases, he and his family members will pose as sentries, patrolling them to drive critters like bunnies or mice off.

The quality of the soil is assessed periodically. Sometimes it needs an infusion of a chemical to replenish the nutrients it lost over time or it needs to be rotated out for the year for some rest. This is one of the most paramount tasks the farmer can do for the soil quality can make the difference between a pristine plant and a sickly one.

The Role of the Fantasy Farmer in the World

Since every occupation plays a role in the world, the farmer is considered one of, if the most, important jobs. With an ironclad determination and willful perseverance, he is able to grow food that will ultimately wind up being eaten by other people. In essence, he is helping feed other people.

Since not everyone is cut out for the farm life, the fantasy farmer helps them survive by raising crops that they will eventually eat, thereby freeing them up to do other jobs and activities. And he gets paid to do it! He uses the money he receives from selling his crops to buy more for the next season or to reinvest into the farm to produce even better quality food later on!

Fantasy cities are important in the genre. This image depicts a city with a castle on a hilltop above it. The city has both rectangular- and square-shaped buildings with a wavy roof on each one. The buildings come in four colors: light yellow, brown, light blue, and white. The roofs come in the following colors: dark blue, red, light black, and dark brown. Many of these buildings have windows and some have a visible door. The road itself runs down the middle of the image, swaying to the right and then the left, ending at the doorstep of the castle. The road also meets two others, one that runs to the left, and the other to the right. Behind the city is a grassy field with blades of grass scattered throughout. A river cuts through the field, meandering from the left edge to the right edge of the image. The castle itself is white with gray shadows. It has four red turrets and diamond-shaped windows. The sky above is a bright blue with two white clouds. Some birds are flying on the left side, above the castle, and the right side. It also features a fantasy marketplace.

It’s not just people that the farmer is helping; it’s also businesses, especially those food-related. Restaurants, bakeries, and so on depend on the food he grows like corn or wheat as ingredients in the food they produce and sell. Many of them get all their food from the marketplace or have contracts with local farmers to buy the crops they grow.

Many, if not all, farmers bring their fully-grown food to the marketplace where they sell them to customers. They act as salesmen, extolling the virtues of their produce and say what makes them better than their competitors. The customers range from homemakers who are seeking the perfect ingredients for something they’re making to restaurant owners/employees.

The fantasy farmer also grows crops such as barley that go into the production of drinks like ale and other types of liquor. Raising crops like them help keep businesses like taverns and bars open so that people can enjoy a nice drink every now and then!

Crops like cotton are primarily used in the making of clothes. Clothes and tailor shops benefit the most from them since they use them to make clothes that they sell, thereby keeping their doors open and their customers have the opportunity to get something that they will wear when it’s warm or cold!

Tying it all Together

The life of a fantasy farmer is one of hard work but it is also enriching. He develops a connection with nature though what he grows is at its whim. After months of caring for plants as they grow, he harvests them to sell them for money while keeping some for himself and his family.

To become a farmer, one must possess the right qualities and aptitude for it. That means getting up early and working past sunset, enjoying being outside practically all day, and getting dirty. Those who like sleeping in late, prefer the indoors, and are squeamish at the prospect of getting dirt under the fingernails should look for another career.

Day in and out, the fantasy farmer has plenty of chores. The majority of these revolve around tending to their crops. Removing dead plants and watering them when they’re ready are among these chores. Not doing them will lead to low-quality and sickly plants and there’s no way the farmer can make a living selling them!

The farmer’s role is to provide the food that the world needs for sustenance. Since not everyone is equipped to grow food, those that do step in to become farmers. Without food, there would be no world and no story for you to write about!

In terms of occupations for a fictional world, the fantasy farmer is one you absolutely need in your world since he is the one that grows the food your characters will eat through the course of the story!

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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,

Sunfire

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