So you think people in the middle of nowhere do not eat, need housing, have a professional activity, etc ? I agree, there should be less things in the middle of nowhere but still, people would need to farm, hunt or trade to secure food, while they would need markets or craftsman to provide them with the necessary services to live their lives (e.g. carpenter, stable,...). I mean if there are all these barrels and food items scattered over the map, I assume someone would have put them there ? Or is food magically conjured in 5e DnD ?