No, it is not meaningless, just less useful. A lord or steward serves the same purpose as a trader, with the exception of a trader's extended trade range. But even better, a lord can trade with effectively unlimited range, and isn't limited to matching the scarce orders.
Anyway, I don't see how we can really revamp the trade/food game to make traders a really enjoyable and viable career without really making traders required, and making rural region's income nearly completely dependent on selling their food. That would make food mean something to rural lords, and make it in their own best interest to sell it.
