I've found out that one of my plant & seed suppliers has cotton! At least, seed suitable for planting, so I have ordered some. Having cotton means the capability to produce fabric, hence being (theoretically) self-sufficient in that respect. There are plenty of people in the area who raise sheep and goats, and I'm sure a few people in the area have what only can be described as hemp - all sources of material for clothing. Admittedly, cotton can be a water intensive crop, as well as being labour intensive... There was an Industrial Revolution for a reason... Producing cloth for clothes is a full-time job for someone...
More reason for building up a community of preppers.
Don't get me wrong - I appreciate that there will be opportunity to scavenge... But scavenging is for limited resources - with people competing for it. At some point, it will run out... or rot... or burn up... Then, you have to know how to make or grow it.
Admittedly, when it comes to fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, it's a more difficult process to make. Not impossible, but how many preppers/survivalists are also industrial chemists? I must admit to cheating slightly on the fertiliser front - nitrogen fixing plants are so very useful. Of course, that's one chemical out of a whole lot that mean that we have more food than we know what to do with.
On another industrial chemistry note, the woad and henna are growing fine, but I should get some indigo and madder - and a book or two on dye plants and how to use them. I should also get a greenhouse, but that's another matter...