Agricultural Advisory Service

in Slovenia

Serbia, 25 – 28 . 10. 2010

SOME FACTS ABOUT SLOVENIAN
AGRICULTURE

FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING

WHAT KIND OF FARMS
OUR ADVISERS ARE DEALING WITH …
 REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA
Main figures - Year 2008

• Area: 20 273 km2

• Population: 2 025 866 inhabitants

• GDP per capita at current prices: 18 200 EUR

• Agricultural trade balance: -228.5 million EUR

• Currency: from January, 2007 – EURO

• Agriculture, hunting and fishing (% of total GVA):

-2008: 2, 3% (1,8% in EU 27)
-2004: 2,7%
Slovenia is a country with a large number of small farms.
         
  1997 2000 2003 2005 2007
Number of farms (NF) (in 1000) 90.8 86.5 77.1 77.2 75.3
Utilized Agriculture area (UAA)
(1000 ha) 466.6 485.9 486.5 485.4 488,8
Average UAA per farm (ha) 5.1 5.6 6.3 6.3 6.5
Percentage of farms with 10 or
more ha UAA 10% 13% 16% 15% 16%
Percentage of UAA per farms with
10 or more ha UAA 35% 42% 47% 48% 51%

The age structure is getting worse (Only ½ of all family members are younger
than 45 years old). The education of farm owners is improving slowly but
surely.
Source: Institute of Agriculture: Evaluation of Agriculture in 2008
 Slovenia is a cattle breeding country.
       
  2000 2003 2005 2007

Number of farms with cattle (in 1000) 77.5 68.9 66.9 63.5
- Percentage in all farms 90% 89% 87% 84%
Lifestock unit (LU) (in 1000) 470.5 456.2 421.6 433.4
Average number of lifestock unit
per farm 6.1 6.6 6.3 6,8
Percentage of farm with 20 or more
LU 5% 6% 6% 7%
Percentage of LU per farm with 20 or
more LU 34% 39% 39% 44%
Source: Institute of Agriculture: Evaluation of Agriculture in 2008
 Level of self-supply of some agricultural products
in Slovenia, 2005-2007

Slovenia is a traditional net importer of food. Negative balance has

been increasing after joining the EU. Grains, sugar, fruit and
vegetables contribute the most to negative aggregate self sufficiency.
BUDGET EXPENDITURE FOR SLOVENIAN AGRICULTURE
(Millions of Euros)

350 350 SLO

300 EU
300 250
200
150
250 100
50
mio EUR

200 0
2003

2004

2005

2006

2007
150

100

50

0
1992

1993

1994

1995

1997

1998

1999

2000

2002

2003

2005

2007
1996

2001

2004

2006
Izdatki za splošne storitve Ukrepi politike razvoja podeželja
Ukrepi tržno-cenovne politike Podpore ob naravnih nesrečah
Vir: MKGP, preračuni KIS

Budget expenditure, grow very rapidly since the year 2001

and currently amount is between 270 and 280mil.EUR/year
Total expenditure 2008:
208.9 million EUR,
(0.4% of EU-27)
 AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY SERVICE IN
SLOVENIA

Agricultural Advisory Service has in Slovenia more than 40 years experiences

working with farmers!
 HISTORY OF
HISTORY OF AAS
AAS!

• Long tradition of agricultural advisory service

– Associations, Agricultural schools, cooperatives
• Organization after 1972
– Cooperatives employed agriculture advisors
– First regional agriculture and animal breeding centers
– institutes with specialized advisory services
• Reorganization in 1990
– Agricultural advisory service - AAS (though no clear legal status, one
of the services of Ministry of agriculture and forestry but not as other
services – gap in status)
• Establishment of Chamber of Agriculture and
Forestry of Slovenia – for the first time AAS is
clearly identified and got legal status
 CHAMBER ORGANISATION

HEAD OFFICE AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY SERVICE

LJUBLJANA DIVISION
8 AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTRY
INSTITUTES
13
REGIONAL UNITS CELJE
KRANJ

LJUBLJANA

MARIBOR
60 BRANCH OFFICES MURSKA SOBOTA

NOVA GORICA

NOVO MESTO

13 REGIONAL UNITS 8 AGRICULTURE AND PTUJ

FORESTRY INSTITUTE
 Agriculture Advistoy Service in frame of Chamber
of Agriculture and Forestry of Slovenia

PREDSEDNIK

REVIZIJA
tajništvo predsednika

DIREKTOR,
NAMESTNIK
DIREKTORJA

tajništvo direktorja

ODD. ZA KOORD. ODD. ZA ODNOSE

VOLJENIH Z JAVNOSTMI IN
ORGANOV MEDNARODNO
SODELOVANJE

SL. ZA ODNOSE Z JAVN. SL ZA MEDNAR. SODELOV.

KMETISKA
SEKTOR ZA SEKTOR ZA SVETOVALNA
SPLOŠNE KMETIJSTVO SLUŽBA
ZADEVE IN SLOVENIJE
GOZDARSTVO

podporna služba sektorja s tajništvom

tajništvo

ODD. ZA SPLOŠNE ODD. ZA PRAVNE ODD. ZA ODD. ZA ODD. ZA ODD. ZA RAZVOJ ODD. ZA
ZADEVE ZADEVE FINANČNE RASTLINSKO ŽIVINOREJO PODEŽELJA GOZDARSTVO IN
ZADEVE PRIDELAVO OBNOVLJIVE
VIRE
 CHAMBER OF AGRICULTURE AND
FORESTRY OF SLOVENIA
After more than 10 years of efforts, Chamber was
constituted in May 2000 by the law.

It is a legal entity under public law and has a

compulsory membership.

In accordance with the law, the Chamber was

established to represent and to protect the interests of
agriculture, forestry and fishery.
 CHAMBER’S ORGANISATION

HEADOFFICE FOU
LJUBLJANA NDE
R
8 PUBLIC AGRICULTURAL
50 employees AND FORESTRY
CO INSTITUTIONS
FO
UN 750 employees
DE
CO R
13 REGIONAL UNITS FO
INSTITUTE FOR
185 elected members
FOREST CERTIFICATION
UN
DE
R

60 BRANCH OFFICES INSTITUTE FOR

420 elected members CONTROL AND CERTIFICATION
IN AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
 MEMBERS AND MEMBERSHIP FEE
Chamber's Members are divided into two subgroups:
natural persons and legal entities.

Around 109.000 natural persons an approximately

1.500 legal entities are members of the Chamber.

The membership fee is determined once per year

for the past year.

The total income of membership fee for 2009 was

1,987.400 EUR. On average, each member paid €18,26.
 CHAMBER’S ACTIVITIES
Represents Members' interests in legislative
procedure.

Informs Members and the public of current issues in

agriculture and forestry (free monthly bulletin
„Zelena Dežela“.

Provides free technical aid in agricultural, forestry,

legal and economic consultancy through
Agriculture Advisory Service.
 HUMAN RESOURCES, Agriculture
Advisory Service
8 Agriculture and Forestry Institutes (AFI)

Agricultural advisors at the Agricultural Advisory

Service Departments: 8 departments, 310 employees

8 heads of departments
78 expert advisors
45 farming family and supplementary activities advisors
179 field advisors
 Objectives
1. Increasing of farm income considering input/output
optimum;
2. Training of farmers for better farm management;
3. Rural development;
4. Promoting work on protection of special food products
(PGO, PGD…);
5. Introduction of environmentally friendly technologies;
6. Balancing farm production with natural resources and
market;
7. Performing permanent education and training of farmers -
working in groups as well as individually;
 Tasks
• Consulting in the fields of technological, economic and
environmental aspects of agriculture.
• Consulting and help with the development of farm
development plans (investments, business plans for SAPARD
funds and/or bank loans etc.).
• Supporting the introduction of the common agriculture
policy (55%).
• Consulting and help different forms of organisations of
farmers.
• Performing programs of national importance based on
special agreements.
 Methods of work

• Courses, seminars, lectures for farmers and their families

• Individual consulting
• Writing professional articles in different journals, co-editing
of agriculture broadcasting on TV and radio
• Practical demonstrations, workshops
• Exhibitions, excursions
• Website, on-line information, Internet
• Permanent training of trainers
• Cooperation with their colleagues abroad.
 Legislation grounding
• Agriculture extension is organised as a public
service (The Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry act,
1999 and The Agriculture act of Slovenia, 2008)

• Public service functions in the public interest:

– Permanent activities and services

– Enabled services for every natural or legal person engaged
in the agricultural activity
– Carry out of services puruant to a defined programme and
certain price
 Financing
• The public service is financed from:
– partially or entirely payment of the price for the
provided service
– the state budget (MAFF guidelines for work
programme, work programme, conformation of
work programme by government, annual report)
– other sources.
• The prices of services:
– partially or entirely paid by users of services
– free of charge.
 FINANCING OF AAS
FINANCING OF AAS

What about the government?

• Ministry for agriculture is constantly diminishing the

financial support for AAS work.

Present situation:

 70 % of AAS budget is coming from the budget of

Ministry for agriculture, forestry and food

 Important sum of money is spent on establishment

of new institutions for rural development that have
nor tradition in working with farmers nor knowledge
 Our plans for the future
In the future we will strength farm advising on following topics: :
•Sustainable development (nature conversation advisory service for farmers)
•Animal welfare
•Climate change
•Information technology, development of IT advisory tools
•Implementation of EU measures (Direct payments, Market measures, Rural
development)
•Innovation and introducing of new technologies
•Development of high value agricultural products
•Strengthen the local food production
•Farm diversification
•Strategically farm advice
•Risk management farm advice
In the financial period 2013-2010 CAP has to introduce new measures for
supporting Agricultural Advisory Service in EU member states.
Activities of Agricultural Advisory Service must be supported in sufficient amount
by national budget also in the future (in general free of charge for the farmers).
Thank you for your
attention!

Igor Hrovatič
Director
Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry of Slovenia
www.kgzs.si