Expectations for participation in Agri-Environment-Climate (AEC) projects in the Ljubljana Marsh

The 2015 subsidy campaign came to a close. According to a rough and, as yet, unofficial assessment undertaken by agricultural advisors at the Ljubljana Institute of the Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry of Slovenia, around 90 farms applied for at least one of the AEC nature protection projects on around 350 hectares of surface area, which is more than in the previous seven-year period. Accurate data will become available once material has been processed by the Republic of Slovenia Agency for Agricultural Markets and Rural Development; however, initial information indicates that some farmers, by participating in AEC operations, recognised their important role in preserving biodiversity. It is also encouraging to see that some more reluctant farmers intend to join AEC projects over the coming year. We can therefore expect to see even more meadow land on the Ljubljana Marsh in the near future, which will be managed in an environment-friendly manner.