Question
1000 years ago, less than 4% of habit habitable land was used for agriculture. Today, approximately 50% is used for agriculture. Which statement best explains why this large change occurred.
The human population increased rapidly, which caused a subsequent increase in the demand for food
Most humans live in urban areas, so rural areas are heavily developed to provide food for those densely, populated urban areas
Humans develop new agriculture practices, which allowed the expansion of agriculture
as human populations grows, more food is produced, causing sole quality to decline, some more land is needed to grow the same amount of crops
The human population increased rapidly, which caused a subsequent increase in the demand for food
Most humans live in urban areas, so rural areas are heavily developed to provide food for those densely, populated urban areas
Humans develop new agriculture practices, which allowed the expansion of agriculture
as human populations grows, more food is produced, causing sole quality to decline, some more land is needed to grow the same amount of crops
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The statement that best explains the large change in agricultural land use over the past 1000 years is:
**"The human population increased rapidly, which caused a subsequent increase in the demand for food."**
This statement captures the fundamental driver behind the expansion of agriculture: as populations grow, they require more food to sustain themselves, leading to increased conversion of land for agricultural purposes. While the other statements touch on relevant aspects, the primary impetus for the significant increase in agricultural use of land is the growing demand for food due to rising human populations.
**"The human population increased rapidly, which caused a subsequent increase in the demand for food."**
This statement captures the fundamental driver behind the expansion of agriculture: as populations grow, they require more food to sustain themselves, leading to increased conversion of land for agricultural purposes. While the other statements touch on relevant aspects, the primary impetus for the significant increase in agricultural use of land is the growing demand for food due to rising human populations.