The vast majority of food demands in urban population centers cannot be met by small farm operators, for scalability and price reasons. There are also a number

The vast majority of food demands in urban population centers cannot be met by small farm operators, for scalability and price reasons. There are also a number of foodstuffs that can either never be provided by local farmers, or can only occasionally produced due to climate reasons. This is as true of "nice to have" goods as it is staple crops like wheat or rice. Resorting to sources that are further away and require extra measures to preserve freshness and ensure the items survive transport is something we will never escape from given global population size, the bias towards city settlement, and diet preferences.