Final answer:
The Dust Bowl reference in the article serves as an example of the devastating effects single-crop farming can have on the environment and economy, indicating how challenging recovery can be after such ecological damage.
Step-by-step explanation:
The author's reference to the Dust Bowl contributes to the development of ideas in the article by providing an example of the devastating consequences of single-crop farming, which aligns with option C.
The Dust Bowl was a direct result of practices such as over-farming, dry farming techniques, and overgrazing, which depleted the topsoil and destroyed the natural vegetation that previously protected the land.
This ecological catastrophe highlights the long-term impacts of unsustainable agricultural practices, indicating how difficult it is for an environment to recover from such extensive damage.
The reference serves as a historical lesson demonstrating the repercussions of tampering with the ecological balance and disregarding the importance of practices like crop rotation and allowing land to lie fallow.
Thus, the Dust Bowl illustrates the peril of single-crop farming on the environment and the economy.