The United States has nearly 2 million active farms, and researchers say the existing agricultural model could feed 146 percent of the population by 2030. Nevertheless, the United States imported close to $205 million in food products last year, according to the Department of Agriculture (USDA).
It’s another milestone in the more than decade-long trend of increasing reliance on food imports. Historically, this has been blamed on everything from high volumes of food waste to a booming population, but insiders say profitability is the main roadblock keeping America reliant on foreign foods.
“I think the biggest problem is not the model, but growing season, economics, profits, [and] market demand,” David Anderson, professor and extension specialist for livestock and food product marketing at Texas A&M University, told The Epoch Times….