For Soil: “Living Soil” was the Topic of a Field Trip and Roundtable Discussion
Experts Discussed Regenerative Agriculture in Slovakia
The new “For Soil” program by the Ekopolis Foundation supports expert discussions on sustainable use of agricultural landscapes and resilience-boosting measures. On Wednesday, September 21st, a field trip took place at the Krakovany-Stráže farm for professionals, who also engaged in a roundtable discussion with special guests.
“Within the For Soil Program, we published an analysis on regenerative agriculture, which offered recommendations and highlighted that this concept is not widely adopted in Slovakia. The Krakovany-Stráže Agricultural Cooperative has the most experience with the principles of this sustainable approach to soil management, so we decided to partner with them for the Living Soil Day event, bringing our program to life through a field trip and expert discussions,” said Martin Gálik, Program Manager from the Ekopolis Foundation.
The first part of the program was a field trip led by Ľubomír Marhavý from Biopratex. Using a soil probe, he demonstrated to participants the impact of no-till farming on soil health and fertility, a core principle of regenerative agriculture.
The following roundtable discussion included the State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic, Martin Kováč; Chairman of the Krakovany-Stráže Agricultural Cooperative, Robert Dohál; Jaroslav Jankovič from the Slovak Agroforestry Association; and Sustainability Manager from Nestlé, Martina Šilhánová. Together with participants from the public sector, farmers, agricultural experts, and representatives from businesses and NGOs, they discussed the needs of various sectors and the challenges we face.
“Regenerative agriculture is a vital and promising field. Today’s discussion was very stimulating, bringing together a broad spectrum of partners, entities, and personalities from different sectors. I am pleased to see an example of regenerative agriculture at the Krakovany farm, especially concerning no-till methods and approaches. This discussion highlighted the crucial role of experience sharing — improving advisory services, introducing innovations, and breaking down barriers to overcome prejudice. Today’s gathering pointed to issues that lie ahead, issues that are both promising and essential,” stated Martin Kováč, State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic.
“We are aware that achieving a successful and sustainable future requires fundamental action on climate change now. Nearly two-thirds of our emissions come from agriculture, which is why regenerative agriculture is strategically important on our path to net-zero emissions,” added Martina Šilhánová from Nestlé.
The For Soil program focuses on so called regenerative agriculture, offering practices to improve soil health and productivity while helping landscapes better adapt to the negative impacts of climate change. The program’s long-term goal is to support discussions on sustainable land use and resilience-enhancing measures. The entire program aligns with Europe’s and Slovakia’s goal of decarbonization by 2050. The For Soil program is supported by Nestlé.
All necessary information can be found at www.prepodu.sk