Minixus nodded, he had, from an economic, philosophical and environmental standpoint, and had found that really it was a mixture of all of the above fueled by necessity.
“Yes, and the reality is that it is a bit more complicated, it was as much a necessary change as it as a willi one, following my the great collapse, Nemidia was almost completely cut off from the rest of the world, including its supply of fossil fuels, which Nemidia almost completely lacks a domestic supply of oil, coal or natural gas. However, Nemidia has plentiful sources of cotton and wool, and other materials that can be used in making durable sails, and a sailing ship does not require fuel, merely food and water for the crew and spare sails, things Nemidia can provide in large quantities relatively easily, and I suppose now most people are reluctant to go back and risk the same thing happening again. However, these vessels are not that much more inefficient than their diesel and steam powered counterparts, as they can maintain the speeds needed for that type of ship just the same, the main difference is that they cannot be built to the same size, however, with the kind of cargo usually transported by Nemidian ships, that isn’t really an issue, and sails have a few other benefits as well, and sails are a millennium proven technology, despite their simplicity, which can be argued as a plus rather than a minus.”
He paused for a moment and said “But I suppose necessity has made something unusual into a tradition now, and Nemidias focus on agriculture is nothing new, it is simply what we are good at, and our island just happens to be very fertile farmland.”
