Farming is one of the smaller components of the system, accounting for 1.2% of U.S. employment and $82 billion in value added to GDP.
The term "food and fiber" is also used to describe a form of economic protectionism consisting of protectionist policies and government subsidies for the nation's own agricultural industry.
[1] This form of protectionism has been criticized because developed nations often claim to want free trade and reduced trade barriers, while they heavily protect their own agricultural sector.
This article incorporates public domain material from Jasper Womach.
Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition (PDF).