Lovro Sinkovič1
Janez Bergant2
Klara Čevka2
1Crop Science Department, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2Department of Agricultural Ecology and Natural Resources, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
DOI:
UDC: [910:004.65]:[349.418:63](497.4)
Published: August 2026
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Keywords: Agricultural zoning; land suitability; GIS; WLC; climate change adaptation
Abstract:
Project RajonSI is developing a national methodology for agricultural land-suitability classification in Slovenia to support sustainable land use, risk reduction, and the adaptation of agricultural production to climate change. The technical framework and pilot models were established in 2025 by harmonising multi-source spatial datasets representing relevant factors for agricultural production and implementing them in a GIS-based multi-criteria evaluation. All input layers are prepared as rasters at a target resolution of 10 m. Natural factors include soil properties (texture parameters, skeletal content, depth, pH, organic matter, plant-available P2O5 and K2O), climate indicators (Tmin, Tmax; derived indices such as the number of days with Tmax > 30/35 °C and Tmin ≤ −1 °C in the growing season, precipitation totals, evapotranspiration, and drought indices), topography (slope, elevation, aspect, topographic wetness index), and other environmental and spatial data (flood areas, water protection areas, land use map). Suitability (S) is computed using the Weighted Linear Combination method. Suitability maps were created for arable land, permanent grassland, intensive orchards, general viticulture, and key crops (maize, cereals – wheat and barley, potatoes, apples/pears, strawberries, American blueberries, pasture-cut grassland, and pasture grassland). The approach is designed to run under multiple climate scenarios (EURO-CORDEX RCP 2.6/4.5/8.5) to assess future suitability envelopes. Output maps will serve decision-makers (MAFF) and practitioners and will be available via a web GIS viewer and open-data services.
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