What statement best explains why growing food crops had an advantage over hunting and gathering?

• Humans preferred plant-based food to animal-based food
O Humans could work much less.
Humans could control the amount of food they produced.
© Humans could use machines and mechanized tools.

Humans could control the amount of food they produced.

The statement "Humans could control the amount of food they produced." best explains why growing food crops had an advantage over hunting and gathering.

The statement that best explains why growing food crops had an advantage over hunting and gathering is: "Humans could control the amount of food they produced."

Explanation:
One advantage of growing food crops is that humans could control the amount of food they produced. When people relied on hunting and gathering, their access to food was largely dependent on the availability of wild animals and edible plants. This meant that their food supply was unpredictable and could fluctuate based on factors like weather patterns and migration patterns of animals.

However, by growing food crops, humans gained the ability to control the production of food. They could cultivate crops, control factors like water and nutrients, and plan their harvests. This allowed them to have a more stable and consistent food supply, reducing the risk of food scarcity during times of environmental variability.

While the other options mentioned (preference for plant-based food and reduced work) can also be advantages of growing food crops, they are not as directly related to the question being asked. Humans might have preferred plant-based food, but that does not necessarily explain why growing crops had an advantage over hunting and gathering. Additionally, although growing crops initially required more work compared to hunting and gathering, over time, agricultural practices allowed humans to work more efficiently and reduce labor requirements. However, the statement about using machines and mechanized tools does not apply to the context of early agricultural development.