Final answer:
Sown pastures and legumes face problems like flood and drought stress, land degradation, and climate variability. These issues affect plant growth, and while crop rotation with legumes can mitigate some soil nutrient problems, overall agricultural productivity is impacted. Sustainable management and national policies can provide solutions for these limitations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Problems and Limitations of Sown Pastures and Legumes
The establishment and management of sown pastures and legume cultivation come with a range of problems and limitations. Flooding and drought represent significant environmental stresses which can severely limit plant growth, development, and crop production. These conditions especially affect soybeans, a widely grown legume, during the critical seedling stages. Conversely, the rotational farming of crops like corn and soybeans can have positive effects by replenishing nitrogen levels in the soil, with legumes in particular contributing to nitrogen fixation. However, issues such as soil erosion, loss of organic matter, disruption of natural nutrient cycles, and soil salinity are common problems associated with intensive agricultural production, leading to land degradation over time.
Additionally, certain pastures and silage are derived from land suitable only for animal feed production, a consideration which complicates the attribution of inefficiencies and ecological impacts. For pastoral communities facing climate change, climate variability exacerbates challenges in livestock production, manifesting as malnutrition and reduced milk yields in cattle. National policies and local action, along with sustainable pasture management, can potentially mitigate these issues and contribute to carbon sequestration capabilities.
For successful agriculture, taking into account local environmental conditions is crucial; farmers may have developed highly efficient farming techniques, but they still face constraints such as insecure land tenure, land fragmentation, and information gaps that impede the adoption of sustainable practices.