Evaluation of the intensity of environmental pressures from agriculture on groundwater in Slovenia

Abstract

Using a composite environmental index, we assessed how environmentally sustainable agriculture is by examining water bodies of groundwater (WBG) in Slovenia. Apart from studying identifiable differences among 21 WBG, we also analysed and detailed the pressures of agricultural activities including by different types of aquifer porosity. We found that the most heavily burdened WBG have an intergranular type of porosity. From the standpoint of environmental sustainability agriculture is ill-suited on all five of the alluvial plains with intergranular aquifers in Slovenia. The lowest index was calculated in the area of the WBG in the Drava basin (-0.54), followed by the Mura (-0.34) and Sava basin together with the Ljubljana Marshes (-0.24). In order to better illustrate responsiveness, through analysis of spatial patterns of ecologically cultivated areas, we evaluated the distribution of the most sustainable agricultural practices and found that organic farming is more prevalent on water bodies with predominantly karst type of porosity (17.1% of organically cultivated agricultural land) and it occurs least on alluvial plains with intergranular aquifers (barely 3.7% of organically cultivated agricultural land). Calculations of the sustainability index of agriculture at the level of WBG proved to be very suitable approach for determining environmental sustainability.