Identifying current policy ambitions and future soil aspirational goals in Slovakia

Abstract

To develop and deploy a roadmap of the project H2020 EJP SOIL program titled “Towards climate-smart sustainable management of agricultural soils” was the main goal of this study. In Slovakia, the survey of the Task 2.1 addresses expertise of nine stakeholders and reviewing 17 documents which consisted of two phases. The first phase was elaborated a desk study in which policy documents and market-based initiatives were analysed in terms to detect current policy ambitions and realisations. In the second phase, the opinion of key stakeholders was asked on how they perceive policy realisations and what aspirational goals for agricultural soil and management towards 2050. To avoid soil erosion, to enhance soil biodiversity, optimal soil structure, and avoiding N₂O, CH₄ emissions were the most covered soil challenges to be addressed by management practices. On the other hand, soil sealing was not involved into the survey at all, because of management practices cannot be applying. According to the stakeholders, enhance water storage capacity; avoid soil erosion and maintain/increase soil organic carbon (SOC) are the three most important soil challenges in the country in the upcoming decades. Measures to be implemented for avoiding N₂O, CH₄ emissions, enhance of soil biodiversity and enhance of soil nutrient retention/use efficiency also received a relatively high rating from stakeholders. The survey results: the most promising management practices for the country suggested by stakeholders, as controlled traffic farming and precision agriculture, are barely covered by policy documents. The situation is similar for fertilisation plans, too. The results at the European level were almost identical to the national ones in Slovakia in terms of soil management practices and soil challenges.

Keywords: stakeholders, questionnaires, inventory, soil related targets, soil management practices, soil challenges, policy analysis