I wanted to get other players opinions and experiences with the population of planets. Playing from a non-silicon and non-synthetic view point, now that raw production is increased by the square root of a population, is it even worth it to have farm and city improvements? For a colony that begins at 4 pop, it is reasonable to raise the pop limit to 25, which only gives 3 more raw production than the 4 pop. To achieve the 25 pop, you need farms, cities, and entertainment to keep the population content. Yes, you can have farms on another planet, but that is still tile space that could go to something else. For me, having three tiles to get a plus 3 raw production seems like a waste when I could boost the planet with other types of improvements.
What are everyone's thoughts and experiences regarding this? Do you actively use cities and farms, or do you forgo them for other improvements?