These Rural Communities Feed the World. They’re Also Going Hungry

Over the last four decades, America’s agricultural output has nearly doubled, as the production of livestock and crops has not only fed the nation but also fueled growing food demand in Asia and South America.

But in the rural communities that have made the U.S. a global food power, residents are increasingly finding it difficult to access enough food for themselves.

While the national food insecurity rate has dropped slightly over the last decade, farming-dependent counties have seen an 11.7% increase.

Farming counties saw the second-highest increase among the six federal economic categories — farming, mining, recreation, manufacturing, government and nonspecific — according to an analysis by Investigate Midwest of U.S. Census Bureau and Feeding America data.