With the growing demand for food and good profits to be made from trade, farmers could maximize the efficiency of their land by employing the risky strategy of double-cropping. This doubled the yield from the land, with the farmer planting a second crop immediately after the first had gone to market. As well as filling the storehouses, this could enrich the soil if the right combinations were planted, and help to control pests and weeds. However, in order for this technique to work a suitable climate was required: double-cropping was only viable in areas which had lengthy growing seasons.
