Slovenia

Officially the Republic of Slovenia is a nation state in southern Central Europe located at the crossroads of main European cultural and trade routes. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest. It covers 20,273 square kilometers and has a population of 2.06 million. It is a parliamentary republic and a member of the European Union. The capital and largest city is Ljubljana.

Slovenia today is a developed country that enjoys prosperity and stability as well as a GDP per capita at 83% of the EU28 average. Small and medium sized farms proved to play an important role in the Slovenian agricultural structure: 42 % of the economic value of the country’s population of farms.

The traditional primary industries of agriculture, forestry, and fishing comprise a comparatively low 2.5 percent of GDP and engage only 6 percent of the population. The average farm is only 5.5 hectares. Part of Slovenia lies in the Alpe-Adria bioregion, which is currently involved in a major initiative in organic farming. Between 1998 and 2003, the organic sector grew from less than 0.1% of Slovenian agriculture to roughly the European Union average of 3.3%.

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of the Republic of Slovenia