Unsuitable land. A tundra or desert would be an extreme example. Something like a steppe could lack arable land and almost require a nomadic lifestyle.
Land of plenty. If food is easy to come by and hunger almost non-existent, agriculture might not be worth the effort in the short-term.
I see two failure modes for agriculture:
Unsuitable land. A tundra or desert would be an extreme example. Something like a steppe could lack arable land and almost require a nomadic lifestyle.
Land of plenty. If food is easy to come by and hunger almost non-existent, agriculture might not be worth the effort in the short-term.
in mode 1: those who can conserve food resources and potentially grow food where it would be naturally scarce will survive.
in mode 2: the population should expand to meet the available food and force scarcity eventually.