"Torsten Brinch" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 7 Jul 2003 01:38:31 +0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Stephenson) wrote:

I am writing a work of fiction and need to get a "reality test"
feel for how many people a square kilometer (etc) of land could
plausibly be expected to support.
snip specifications
Would anyone care to guess at the productivity of 8.3 square Km?

Vaclav Smil, who is often quoted as an authority in these matters,
says about 5 people per hectare could be sustained under the
specificied conditions (fertile farmland, but no artificial
fertilizers), that would be about 4-5000 people on the 8.3 km2.

Those are ideal condition. You must factor in a crop loss from hail, blowing
sand, volcanic eruption , tidal wave, insurrection and such.

It is your story and your location pick a number and you will need that
amount in storage plus the amount the rats and in sects eat.

If you want to be realistic you might want to add in out side inference in
the crops you raise and input you can use.

You can tweak the variables to get the answer you want. Rice, beans and
goats are probably your best crops.

Gordon

Gordon