Agriculture in Ljubljana

From the economic and social viewpoints, agricultural activity in Ljubljana has been rather neglected for quite some time now. However, the same does not hold true with respect to its spatial aspects because farmers cultivating the land see to it that the landscape is neatly arranged, which makes it especially suitable for the urban population to spend free time there. Due to greater urbanization, this role is somewhat less pronounced inside the city’s loop, which was used as the boundary for the built-up parts of the city (in fact, some built-up areas can also be found outside the loop, and small complexes of arable land can also be found inside it). Agriculture left a clear mark on the morphology of certain parts of the city, whose identity should be carefully maintained and protected in the future. Despite favorable opportunities to sell their products, the majority of active farms lead an increasingly miserable existence, although one cannot say they are not resilient. Some of them are already completely locked into the concrete mixture of housing, business, production, and other city areas; if the spatial plan of the City of Ljubljana is carried out consistently, this fate can also be predicted for the majority of the remaining farms. The question arises whether they should be left to organic and spontaneous decay because of their unfavorable age structure or whether this problem should be addressed in a planned manner, allocating substitute land to them at other locations. Last but not least, economical and environmentally friendly farming will also have to be ensured in other patches of arable land. The study focused not only on private farms, but also highlighted plot gardening as an important cultural landscape element, especially as a potential polluter of the environment. Attention is drawn to the issue of private gardens next to detached or row houses because, in addition to those that are ecologically completely irreproachable, there are certainly quite a few that use excessive amounts of fertilizers and pesticides.

Arable land inside a motorway ring in 2000. (figure in high resolution)

Agricultural machinery cause additional problems in traffic due to the raise of built-up areas around farms.