If it did, you’d be able to place blocks underneath those where crops are planted on, and it’d count as proximity.
Instead, and I’ll borrow Mayumichi’s term, you gotta figure out some kind of efficiency puzzle if you want to be optimized.
Given time, you’ll start to see every player going for optimization using the same solution to that efficiency puzzle.
Exactly like how a lot of players are approaching how to place power coils around machines efficiently.
Sure, it might be fun for some to figure out the answer to the puzzle.
But it also kills a lot of options for those who wanna make something that is both optimized and to their own artsy liking.
Like I said, it’s similar to power coils. Look at a suggestion I made a few months ago :
With that, you’d be able to space out your power coils as you desire, you wouldn’t be forced to have them right next to your machines.
As for farming optimization, I’d rather be able to hide those ‘proximity’ blocks underground, but proximity only works in X & Y, not Z.
So my answer to the puzzle as it is will be “f this”. I won’t jeopardize the look of my build for optimization.