[michaeldh]

CA, apparently, grows almonds for the entire United States, and 80% of the world's almonds, too.

[Izikiel43]

Sure, I'm not saying they don't, but it isn't a critical crop for day to day life, biologically speaking. No one is going to die for not eating almonds.

Is it economically important? For sure.

Is it critical for living? No.

[dcrazy]

We don’t decide what to grow based on what someone decides is “critical for living.” We decide what to grow based on what sells for a decent margin above cost. Some countries in the Eastern Hemisphere tried the first way and it didn’t work out very well.