Institute of Agriculture
and Forestry Maribor
The Institute of Agriculture and Forestry Maribor, founded in 1894, is Slovenia’s premier public research and advisory centre for sustainable rural development. Through tailored advice, education, research and innovation, we help farmers and stakeholders protect environmental resources, preserve biodiversity, and safeguard natural and cultural heritage, ensuring modern agricultural practices that boost productivity while caring for the land.
As a member of EUSALP Action Group 6, we also lend expert support to policy development, facilitate stakeholder dialogues, and carry out economic evaluations of ecosystem services to strengthen cross-sector cooperation and public awareness of sustainable farming.
With a proven track record in national and EU-funded projects—from the Common Agricultural Policy and Horizon 2020 to territorial cooperation programmes—we drive both fundamental and applied research in agricultural production, rural development and environmental management. Our work on climate adaptation and Green Deal implementation delivers practical solutions through interdisciplinary partnerships and the creation of decision-support tools. Built on a foundation of open, respectful relationships—with farmers, educators, partner institutions and service users—we are committed to providing high-quality services that enhance competitiveness, food security and the long-term prosperity of Slovenia’s rural communities.
For more information, please visit our website at: www.kmetijski-zavod.si
Role in the FarmForward project
It leads Slovenia’s WP3 activities by co-creating, localising and piloting the “Educational Resources for Sustainable Farming”. Drawing on its extensive farmer network, the Institute will coordinate on-farm demonstrations, testing precision-agriculture primers, integrated pest-management guides and regenerative-technique modules under regional conditions, and capture practitioner feedback to refine every booklet. It will manage the Slovenian translation of all nine thematic booklets and the decision-support toolkit, ensuring materials resonate with local agro-ecological realities. By organising interactive workshops for at least 20 Slovenian farmers and trainers, the Institute turns theoretical resources into hands-on practice, feeds lessons learned back into the consortium for cross-country comparison, and contributes real-world case studies to WP4’s Expert Insights Series. Through these efforts, Maribor embeds FarmForward’s evidence-based tools within Slovenia’s rural landscape and helps forge a transnational community of “on-farm” ambassadors committed to climate-resilient agriculture.
Team Members
Tamara Korošec, Ph.D. in Animal Science. From 2012 she is specialized in organic farming and worked as an advisor specialist for organic farming 2017-2023. Currently, she works as a project manager, vocational college lecturer in the field of organic food production and associate professor in the field of feed production and organic farming. She is one of the few Slovenian advisors with CECRA certificate (international competence development program for agricultural advisors), a leader and partner in national research projects (Nutrigenomic research of oxidative stress in chicken, ITzaSKP, Inputs in organic farming), and EIP projects.
Mojca Hribernik, MSc of Education, possesses significant experience and expertise in teaching, conducting workshops, and coordinating diverse events. In addition to her extensive background in various fields, she has acquired valuable knowledge in project and research work at the Agricultural and Forestry Institute Maribor. Mojca has specifically enhanced her skills in project coordination, communication and dissemination, focusing predominantly on Cohesion Policy and European Territorial Cooperation programs. Through her involvement in numerous projects, she demonstrated excellent collaboration with partners, clients, and the public, playing a key role in ensuring the successful implementation of various initiatives.
