What a charming survival horror.
By the first glance, this game reminded me Emoji Simulator by NCase, or Tiny Islands by David King. Indeed it has a lot of cellular automaton vibe.
On the complimentary side, I really enjoyed the minimalist aesthetics and economical with variables. Tiles evolve in mostly scripted manner which allows for quick understanding and intentionality.
It was also thrilling when the lightnings stroke and turned the gameplay upside down.
On the feedback side, I wish you followed the example of the latter and explained how some mechanics work, like which house will be occupied after reproduction, or how soil fertility will change based on surrounding tiles, or when will the wildfires start and which tiles will set on fire.
Overall, it's a pretty simple, very fun and addicting game.