Opportunities for the development of herbalism in Slovenia

Project presentation

Title: Opportunities for the development of herbalism in Slovenia

Project acronym: V4-2207

Leading institution: Slovenian Institute of Hop Research and Brewing

Principal investigator: dr. Barbara Čeh, Scientific Adviser

Partner institutions: 

• UP FAMNIT
• UNM Faculty of Health Sciences

Principal investigator at UP FAMNIT: izr. prof. dr. Dunja Bandelj

Funding organization: Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARRS)

Research field (ARRS): 4.03 Plant production

Duration: 1.10.2022 - 30.9.2024

Demand for products and knowledge on the cultivation and processing of herbs is increasing in Slovenia, and the number of herb growers and cultivated areas is also growing. The number of domestic and foreign providers of various herbal products and services is also increasing. As existing studies have not addressed the needs of herbal production involving different stakeholders and analysing them in a comprehensive way, the project activities will help to fill the gaps in this field and will help to formulate new strategies for the development of herbal production in Slovenia. The key objectives of the project are:  (1) to identify the state of herb production in Slovenia and to establish methodologies to calculate average yields for different species and parts of herbs and to find a way to convert different yields to a common denominator; (2) to identify the needs of consumers, growers, networking and purchasing opportunities and to select the most environmentally and commercially appropriate herbs for production in Slovenia; (3) cost analysis of the production of herbs with the highest production and sales potential in Slovenia and evaluation of the environmental impact of the cultivation of the selected herbs; (4) comprehensive evaluation of the potential of herb production and update and prepare guidelines for the preparation of the Guidelines for the Development of the Local Supply of Herbs, focusing on measures that would increase herb production in Slovenia.

More information on the project is available HERE.