Forum

there seems to be large communities and factions that have nothing to do with food production. i cant find much written about farmers or agriculture. how much land is cultivated to feed just thistle hold? how many people farm those lands? whats the ration of producers to consumers? do they feed the goblins they seem to look down on as well, since they spend their days draining marshes, emptying latrines and flailing about on scaffolding? why are these farmers not adventuring?

i know such mundane details dont make for very good heroic stories, but i would like to know more about them, if for no other reason than to have a clearer understanding of the social structures of what is essentially a frontier land.

I am not one of the authors but some clues can be gathered from the setting:
The Ambrians have much fertile lands and therefore farms that can produce enough food for the whole kingdom. Frontier towns like Thistle Hold can trade wood (harvested from Davokar) for food.
The barbarians are probably closer to hunter gatherers, with small scale farming (a few goats, clan garden, etc.) The forest of Davokar has plentiful game.
I assume the goblins are paid for their work, and therefore can buy food with their coins. As far as I know, there is no slavery in Ambria, and even slaves would be fed anyway.
As for farmers versus adventurers, the life expectancy of farmers is much longer, so there are more of them A lot of adventurers end their careers at the bottom of a forgotten ruin...

Now, if you really want to know about ratios of lands and population, I suggest you check the Adventurer Conqueror King RPG (ACKS), the campaign section has all you need ... and more. I think Symbaroum is more about exploration than kingdom building, but enjoy what you like!