I think I have figured this one out for myself--I read somewhere that 15 is the most people sustainable at level 2 farming. That means at 12 I am getting close to the limit which would explain why they eat almost all their food with each cycle and spend most of their time worrying about food. I am almost at 90000 tech points and hope to solve this problem with level 3 farming. Frankly Im tired of worrying about food and ready to move on to playing this game and sovling puzzles, etc. Thanks anyway.