The majority of Hungary's productive soils originate from sediments, resulting in a wide range of characteristics. However, many years of intensive soil use have led to significant degradation In nearly half of our soils, optimal fertility utilization is impeded due to soil degradation. The chemical degradation of cultivated land has been a known problem for centuries, and subsidies have been provided to help farmers to remedy it. Following both world wars, our country provided significant support for soil improvement efforts. By the end of the 1980s, the momentum for soil improvement had waned. Subsidies were ultimately withdrawn, relegating soil improvement to the margins of the agricultural profession.
Nevertheless, restoring soil fertility is a long-term national interest achievable by raising awareness among landowners and producers and by garnering support from public decision-makers.
A radical change of mindset is needed to see soil improvement not only as a tool for surplus production, but as an indispensable element of sustainable agriculture, rational soil use and agri-environmental protection.
Quoted from György Várallyay:
"Changes of perception in the history of soil improvement in Hungary
A key element of sustainable development in Hungary is the protection of the most important natural
of our natural resources, the rational use, protection and conservation of our soil resources, and the maintenance of their multifunctional capacity. The basic aim of agricultural production is to produce sufficient quantities of high-quality products with the least possible inputs and as efficiently as possible, without harmful environmental side-effects. Without causing adverse changes in the biosphere of the area or its environment, now, in the near future or in the longer term. Achieving rational, efficient, profitable, socially acceptable and environmentally sound sustainable (agricultural) development that is compatible with production tasks and environmental requirements is a matter for the state, the landowner and the
the land user, which requires special attention from the whole of society and requires well thought-out and coordinated measures (VÁRALLYAY, 1997b; VÁRALLYAY & NÉMETH, 1996).”
