Agriculture and forestry
Making farming more profitable and sustainable.
36% of Slovenia’s surface is agricultural land. 61% are forests. There are about 70 000 farms in Slovenia many of them working on difficult terrain and operating with low profitability compared to EU levels - also due to the historic setup of farming-industrial workers and allotted farm plots for self-sufficiency which resulted in comparatively small farm sizes (with an average size of 6.9ha), which are difficult to cultivate profitably.
Forests are just as fragmented with an estimated 410 000 owners and an average plot size of 3.2 ha, so while Slovenia is one of the countries in Europe with the highest forest coverage, maintenance can be a challenge while climate change will require more adaptive forest management to ensure the long term viability of our forest ecosystems.
Volt Slovenija proposes:
Direct agriculture sales support
Support the creation of Slovenian mensa-type kitchens in urban areas who source from local farmers and prepare the equivalent of fast-food menus that can be ordered and doorstep delivered. If the trend goes away from cooking to ordering online, we should not leave the market to fast-food chains, but have our own Slovenian brand supporting distribution of local farming produce and a healthy cuisine.
Ensure all Slovenian farms have the means to sell their regional and seasonal products through basket subscription services and local markets. Publish a website that provides an overview of all local markets across the country (location, days, times) for locals and tourists alike.
Alternative sources of farming income
Support the growth and scale-up of agri-tourism (farm stays) similar to the Italian initiative across all of Slovenia (combined with the proposed bicycle infrastructure improvements) in order to provide farms with additional possibilities of income and increase tourism across the country.
Introduce an authority like the French Safer in each region, that can preemptively purchase farm and forest land to create larger plots that can be farmed more profitably.
Evaluate feasibility of agrovoltaics with pilot projects to understand the possibilities of farming and generating electricity.
Support our tradition and expertise of beekeeping by looking into how we can re-establish populations lost over the last decades and also reinforce competences for growth and export of populations.
Next generation farmers, crops and technologies
Begin addressing soil erosion. Slovenia has the 3rd highest estimated soil erosion per hectare in Europe and managing soil quality will also have an effect on productivity of farms. Use available means on EU level, such as for planting hedges to protect against wind erosion (Bora) and support cultivation of pulses (clover, alfalfa, field peas, field beans, soya), who have a number of positive side-effects for soil development and can also retain nitrates.
Support the introduction of technologies that automate farming and help monitor soils and crops and use data and predictive algorithms to optimise water use and farming practices in general (digital agriculture).
Launch an initiative that markets taking over farms of retiring farmers beyond Slovenian borders. In many EU member states, there are few farms to take over and we should not limit ourselves to Slovenia to find the next younger generation of willing farmers.
Build the educational resources and learning possibilities for anyone inheriting or committing to taking over a farm to ensure there is an influx and incentive to go into farming with the necessary know-how to successfully run a farm.
Climate change resistant forests
Adapt forest management and maintenance to plan for regular extreme weather events (droughts, heavy rainfall, landslides) and develop measures to protect forests in these changing conditions, including planting of more resilient species and reforestation of suitable areas.
Raise the awareness of more active forest management among owners through educational means and supporting initial membership in forest management associations.
(version 2025-02)