**5. Organic farming and the areas with restrictions/limitations or natural obstacles for agriculture**

Organic farming, due to its production characteristics, can be a good choice for farming in areas such as "areas facing natural or other specific constraints" (ANCs), before in the EU called "less favored areas" (LFAs), protected areas (national, regional, or landscape parks), Natura 2000 areas, and water protection areas. Such areas are precisely spatially defined, based on criteria defined by the European or Slovenian legislation.

**113**

(1164) [38].

specific constraints.

**Figure 5.**

**5.2 Protected areas**

*Organic Farming: A Good Production Decision for Slovenian Small Size Farms and Farms…*

**5.1 Areas facing natural or other specific constraints (ANCs)**

*Areas facing natural or other specific constraints in Slovenia.*

Many farmers in Europe are located in areas that are less favored for agriculture.

They are facing natural constraints such as difficult climatic conditions, steep slopes, worst soil quality, and other natural handicaps. Farmers in such areas face many difficulties and have higher production costs but are very important from the viewpoint of sustainability. Most developed countries are paying them to mitigate the risks of land abandonment and thus a possibility of desertification, loss of biodiversity, valuable rural landscape, and other multifunctional roles that farmers play in such areas. ANCs are designated by member states based on EU Regulation 1303/2013 where objective biophysical criteria for the designation are declared. EU Member States have possibility to designate three different categories of ANCs: (1) mountain areas; (2) areas, other than mountain areas, facing natural constraints; and (3) areas affected by specific constraints [36]. In Slovenia, 86.9% of the country area is declared as ANCs or 76.2% of all agricultural land (**Figure 5**) [37]. Farmers with agricultural land in ANCs are eligible to receive compensation payments that are calculated on the basis of differences in costs or income as resulting from natural constraints and in comparison to areas not suffering from those natural or

In Slovenia, 269,475 ha or 13.3% of the national territory of Slovenia is defined as a protected area characterized by a rich and heterogeneous natural and cultural heritage. Such areas have not only economic but also environmental and social potential; thus, all aspects and prerequisites should ensure sustainable development. Protected areas in Slovenia are represented by one national park (Triglav National Park), three regional parks, 44 landscape parks, and several smaller protected areas such as nature reserves (57) and natural monuments

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.89716*

*Organic Farming: A Good Production Decision for Slovenian Small Size Farms and Farms… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.89716*

#### **Figure 5.** *Areas facing natural or other specific constraints in Slovenia.*
