That's true today, but people have been growing wheat in the Wimmera and Mallee since the 19th century and irrigation and the use of superphosphate were only introduced in the 1930s and really got going in the 40s and 50s (from my memory of Agricultural Science classes). Now, while those two pieces of magic made a big jump in productivity, people were able to farm in these regions quite successfully without them. Wheat only requires approximately 10 inches of rain per year to grow, and according to the River of Cradles, you're looking at nearly 30 inches per year. Horsham, where I come from, averages 17 inches of year and the wheat crops there don't use irrigation, and I can assure you that the average wheat farmer in the Horsham area, does pretty okay.
So, my point of view is that Prax as a whole is magically infertile to a large extent, that farming is difficult even along the Zola Fel valley and that the Ernaldan fertility magics are what make it possible for farming to succeed. I think this emphasises the alien/foreign nature of the land to the Sartarite/Yelmalian farmers, who are still after a long time, outsiders in Prax. I think a background, where the Sartarite immigrants are struggling to make things meet in their settlements is a lot more conducive to an interesting campaign based there. And of course, the recent arrivals have it much tougher than those people down in Sun County and the like who have adapted to some extent.
Now, we could just say that Prax is infertile naturally, but I prefer magical/mythical explanations in Glorantha.
Martin
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