Traditional orchard Management in the Western Carpathians (Slovakia): evolution between 1955 and 2015

Changes in management regime in recent decades have significantly contributed to threats to traditional European agricultural systems, but this has not been studied sufficiently. This paper examines these changes by considering the agroforestry system of traditional orchards in the Myjava-White Carpathian scattered settlement region (Slovakia) between 1955 and 2015. Data on orchard management was collected using structured interviews with 116 local residents in 2015 – 2016. Information was sought on management practices in the following years: 1955, when collectivisation was just beginning, and traditional practices were dominant; 1975, when collectivisation had finished; 1990, when the socialist period had ended; 2000, after the subsequent socio-political changes; and 2015, reflecting the current state of affairs. Traditional orchard management included mowing, grazing, ploughing, fertilising, and litter raking. Management had changed in 75.8 % of the studied orchards between 1955 and 2015. These changes included especially change in frequency of mowing, a drastic decline in grazing, and cessation of ploughing. Also, understorey mulching appeared as a new practice in 1990 and has been growing steadily more common since that time. Our study confirms an escalating risk of extinction of these valuable habitats, whose management is affected by socio-economic changes.