---
entity_slug: potato_cultivation
evaluator: null
evaluated_at: '2026-02-23T06:07:45.431306'
overall_score: 4.4
scores:
- name: definition_precision
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The definition clearly distinguishes potato cultivation from other agricultural
    practices and specifies its key characteristics (higher productivity per acre,
    nutritional value, population support capacity). It avoids circularity and captures
    a distinct agricultural concept with measurable economic implications.
- name: source_grounding
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity is well-grounded in Smith's actual discussion in Book I,
    Chapter 11, where he explicitly analyzes potato cultivation's economic potential
    and compares it to grain cultivation. The mention of storage/preservation difficulties
    directly reflects Smith's observations about practical constraints.
- name: domain_placement
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: '"Production" is the correct domain placement as potato cultivation is
    fundamentally about agricultural production methods and their economic outputs.
    This fits naturally within Smith''s analysis of productive activities and their
    contribution to wealth generation.'
- name: vsm_relevance
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity maps well to S1 (primary operations) as a fundamental productive
    activity, and has clear connections to S4 (intelligence/adaptation) regarding
    agricultural innovation and environmental response. It represents a concrete operational
    system rather than an abstract concept.
- name: explanatory_value
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The entity illuminates important mechanisms about agricultural productivity,
    population dynamics, and rent theory in Smith's framework. It demonstrates how
    technological/crop innovations can reshape economic relationships between landlords,
    farmers, and food supply, rather than merely naming a farming practice.
---

# Evaluation: Potato Cultivation

## definition_precision — 4.0 / 5.0

The definition clearly distinguishes potato cultivation from other agricultural practices and specifies its key characteristics (higher productivity per acre, nutritional value, population support capacity). It avoids circularity and captures a distinct agricultural concept with measurable economic implications.

## source_grounding — 5.0 / 5.0

This entity is well-grounded in Smith's actual discussion in Book I, Chapter 11, where he explicitly analyzes potato cultivation's economic potential and compares it to grain cultivation. The mention of storage/preservation difficulties directly reflects Smith's observations about practical constraints.

## domain_placement — 5.0 / 5.0

"Production" is the correct domain placement as potato cultivation is fundamentally about agricultural production methods and their economic outputs. This fits naturally within Smith's analysis of productive activities and their contribution to wealth generation.

## vsm_relevance — 4.0 / 5.0

This entity maps well to S1 (primary operations) as a fundamental productive activity, and has clear connections to S4 (intelligence/adaptation) regarding agricultural innovation and environmental response. It represents a concrete operational system rather than an abstract concept.

## explanatory_value — 4.0 / 5.0

The entity illuminates important mechanisms about agricultural productivity, population dynamics, and rent theory in Smith's framework. It demonstrates how technological/crop innovations can reshape economic relationships between landlords, farmers, and food supply, rather than merely naming a farming practice.
