Final answer:
The statement that technological advances in agriculture increase the energy required for food production is true. Modern agricultural methods utilize significantly more energy, mainly from fossil fuels, than the energy content of the food produced. This increase in production capability also has environmental impacts, including the potential loss of biodiversity due to habitat destruction. The statement for the question is True.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the amount of energy required to produce sufficient food supplies tends to increase with advances in agricultural technology is True. Advancements in technology, such as the Green Revolution, have led to the development of improved seeds and mechanization that enhance crop yield, but the trade-off is an increased dependency on fossil fuels. While the content of energy in food is static, the energy used in modern agricultural practices, including farming, transportation, preparation, and wrapping, is now several times higher than the energy contained in the food itself. This is substantiated by the fact that in early farming societies, the energy content of food was about 15 times the energy spent in acquiring it, while in the United States today, the energy received in food is only about one-fifth of the energy used throughout the entire food production process.
These technological advancements, while boosting food production, have also led to other consequences, such as increased human carrying capacity of the Earth and potential environmental impacts like biodiversity loss. This biodiversity decline is often due to the expansion of agricultural activities to meet the demands of a growing population for land, water, and energy, leading to habitat destruction.