A land sustainability model for identifying strategic agricultural areas : application to Novo Mesto municipality, Slovenia

Glavan, Matjaž (avtor), Hrastnik, Anja (avtor)

The conversion of agricultural land for urban and infrastructure uses poses a significant threat to food security and agricultural sustainability across Europe. Slovenia has experienced particularly severe agricultural land loss, with approximately 70,000 hectares converted to non-agricultural purposes since 1991. This reduction is considerable, as only 24% (481,000 ha) of the country’s land is suitable for agricultural production. In response, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia has enacted regulations to define and protect strategically important agricultural areas, which require robust methodologies for their identification and classification. This study develops and implements a transparent land sustainability model to classify agricultural land into three strategic categories: permanently protected agricultural land of the highest quality requiring strict protection (PPAL), other agricultural land suitable for continued agricultural use (OAL), and potentially suitable areas for agriculture (PSAs). The methodology utilises a multicriteria evaluation of soil quality, agricultural infrastructure, topography, current land use, and the cultural characteristics of agricultural production or landscape, drawing on readily available datasets to ensure replicability. In Novo mesto Municipality, southeastern Slovenia, the classification identified 6490 ha (28%) as PPAL, 1020 ha (4%) as OAL, and 5078 ha (22%) as PSA. This research provides a transparent and replicable multicriteria evaluation framework for strategic agricultural area classification, addresses methodological gaps in existing approaches, and demonstrates practical application in a post-transition European context.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: agricultural land protection, strategic agricultural areas, land suitability assessment, spatial planning, food security, multicriteria evaluation
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: BF - Biotehniška fakulteta
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Leto izida: 2026
• Št. strani: 29 str.
• Številčenje: Vol. 15, iss. 3, art. 386
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180066
• UDK: 63
• ISSN pri članku: 2073-445X
• DOI: 10.3390/land15030386
• COBISS.SI-ID: 270031107
• Datum objave v RUL: 02.03.2026

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Land
• Založnik: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-445X
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523256345

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: To je standardna licenca Creative Commons, ki daje uporabnikom največ možnosti za nadaljnjo uporabo dela, pri čemer morajo navesti avtorja.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: kmetijska zemljišča, varstvo kmetijskih zemljišč, prostorsko načrtovanje, varnost hrane, ocena primernosti zemljišč

Projekti

• Financer: Drugi - Drug financer ali več financerjev
• Program financ.: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food, Republic of Slovenia
• Številka projekta: 2330-15-000110