Agriculture in Slovenia
According to data from the last sample census (2005), approximately 77,000 agricultural holdings in Slovenia are engaged in agriculture, which is at the same level as two years before. The average size of farms remains unchanged and totals 6.3 hectares of utilised agricultural area per farm. At the same time, the number of farms with more than 20 hectares of agricultural land has increased.
Slovenia with 648,113 hectares of utilised agricultural area contributes 0.31 % to the total surface area of the agricultural land of the EU-25 members (excluding Romania and Bulgaria).
The share of agriculture in the gross domestic product (GDP) is slightly lower than the European average and totals just under 2 %. Despite the small share in GDP, agriculture’s significance is greater than seems at first sight. The multipurpose roles of agriculture in the Slovenian rural area are no longer just words on paper; instead, it has become publicly recognised and with its specific results it is making progress. Similarly, agriculture’s importance relative to other primary economic branches is not insignificant and the same is true of its relationship with the secondary and tertiary sectors.

Meadows and pastures represent us much as 60 % of agricultural land while more than 20 % of fields are used for the production of feed (maize, root crops, green feed…). This indicates the great importance of animal breeding in Slovenia. Primarily, ruminants are being bred and, of these, the breeding of sheep and goats is very much on the increase although, on average, the number of livestock units (LU) per farm is falling (6.3 LU). Animal breeding is therefore considered as the most important agricultural branch in terms of value. The total value of agricultural output is € 959 million, in which stock farming contributes € 511 million. Otherwise, Slovenia’s contribution to the total value of agricultural output of the EU-25  countries is 0.31 %, which is exactly the same as its share of its utilised agricultural area compared to the whole EU25 area. 
In Slovenia up to 440,349 hectares are defined as less favoured areas. These are hilly and mountainous areas, areas with karst features or other factors that limit possibilities of farming. Only 10 % of Slovenian municipalities have no areas with limiting factors within their boundaries. In these areas, farms are entitled to subsidiaries which totalled € 40.6 million or 35.5 % of the budget expenditures of the rural development policy in 2005.

Facts and figures about the agriculture in Slovenia

Facts and figures about the agriculture in Austria

More about the agriculture in Austria