Read the following passage carefully and answer the items that follow the passage. Your answers to these items should be based solely on the passage. Can agricultural productivity meet human needs in the long run? Since twentieth century advances, given increasing costs, do not seem sustainable, further increases in output will not be achieved easily. Global population growth, while showing signs of slowing down, has

Step-by-step solution

The concluding sentence of the passage states, "Taking everything into consideration, we may remain hopeful about humankind's agricultural prospects, but we can scarcely look forward optimistically at the end of the first quarter of the twenty-first century." This indicates that while the author retains some hope for the future of agriculture, the lack of optimism and the numerous challenges listed throughout the passage reflect a strong sense of scepticism. Thus, the author is both hopeful and sceptical about the