How did the Emancipation Proclamation affect food production in the South?

The Emancipation Proclamation declared freedom for enslaved people in areas rebelling against the Union, encouraging many to leave plantations and seek freedom with Union forces or in the North. With fewer enslaved workers remaining to plant and harvest crops, food production in the South was disrupted. The correct choice is “It inspired many enslaved field workers to escape to the North.”

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.