KAZALCI OKOLJA
Good

The phosphorus (P) budget in agriculture declined over the period 1992–2021 (for 104%). Reduction is the consequence of a decreased P intake with mineral and livestock fertilizers, as well as the consequence of increasing the P uptake by agricultural crops. The period up to 2003 was characterized by a surplus of 11 to 16 kg per hectare while after 2003 they were mostly less than 5 kg per hectare. In the period 2004–2015, the P surplus in Slovenia (+4.5 kg per hectare) was above the EU average (+2.2 kg per hectare).

Neutral

Measurements of soil samples from different agricultural land uses over the period 2015-2023 show that phosphorus (P) is deficient in soils of extensive orchards, olive groves and pastures, below optimum in intensive orchards, vineyards and grasslands, and adequate in arable land. The low phosphorus content is mainly due to the natural low content of this nutrient in Slovenian soils and leaching. Potassium (K) contents are generally higher than P, reflecting Slovenia's better natural soil K supply.

Neutral

In Slovenia, we cultivate slightly more than 8 ares (0.08 hectares) of arable land per capita, which is less than half of the average in the European Union (EU), which is 20 ares of arable land per capita (data for year 2019). This area did not change significantly between 2000 and 2019, which indicates that Slovenia maintains its production potential.

Neutral

The value of agricultural output in Slovenia fluctuates in the period 1995–2020, which can be a consequence of fluctuation of changes in prices of agricultural products, changes in the volume of agricultural production or changes in both. In last couple of years, the key factor is the physical volume of production, which fluctuates markedly due to changing natural (weather) conditions. Similarly, the value of agricultural output, calculated per capita, fluctuates in the analyzed period, with long-term downward trend.

Neutral

Slovenia is a net importer of food, as domestic production does not satisfy the total needs (especially for cereals, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, pig meat, and honey). The long-term trend indicates that the self-sufficiency rate is higher and more stable for most animal products (milk, eggs, beef and poultry meat), with the exception of pig meat and honey, where the self-sufficiency rate is noticeably decreasing.

Bad

According to estimates, most of the food in Slovenia is imported. The share of food of domestic origin is decreasing in the long term. In 2022, only about one fifth of food is of domestic origin. Before 2004, less than half of the available food was imported, while after Slovenia’s accession to the EU, both import and export of food increased significantly. Exports increased mainly at the expense of unprocessed products, while imports increased at the expense of processed products.

Neutral

In Slovenia, the market prices follow the trends at the key agricultural markets, globally or regionally important. Market prices of grain are following the trend and the level of EU average, prices of beef are below EU average while the market prices of eggs and pig meat are above the EU average. Slovenia stands out with its market prices of milk, which are among the lowest in the EU.

Neutral

Slovenia is a net importer of food, as imports exceed exports in terms of value. After accession to the European Union, both trade flows began to increase significantly. At that time, imports increased more intensely, mainly at the expense of processed products, and exports at the expense of unprocessed agricultural products. Over the last decade, the growth of food and beverages exports has been more intense than the growth imports, therefore the coverage of imports by exports has been increasing and has amounted to above 60% in the period 2017–2021.

Neutral

Changes in the size structure show that concentration processes are continuing regarding the extent of the agricultural land, while in the area of the livestock production these processes have slowed down. Nevertheless, due to its small size on average, the competitiveness of Slovenian farms is low compared to the EU–27 countries.

Neutral

Soil erosion is a natural geomorphic process of soil particle detachment and transport. Due to human activities, it can be significantly accelerated, reaching levels much higher than in natural conditions. Erosion (water, wind, and tillage erosion) remains the most significant threat to soils in many regions of the world. Measuring erosion is typically done under controlled conditions on standardized test plots, which is a time-consuming, costly, and organizationally demanding process. Therefore, erosion risks and intensities are often assessed using computational models.