KAZALCI OKOLJA

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In the period 2000-2008, the area of land prepared for irrigation expanded from 4,554 to 9,695 ha and its share in total utilised agricultural area increased from 0.9 to 1.3%. Water consumption per hectare of land prepared for irrigation, which strongly depends on weather conditions from year to year, has decreased since 2000.


This indicator shows the area of land prepared for irrigation, irrigated areas and water consumption for the purposes of irrigation in Slovenia in the period 2000–2015, as well as the share of irrigable area in the total utilised agricultural area in the European Union (EU) in 2000, 2007 and 2013. The indicator does not provide direct information on environmental acceptability of irrigation, but indicates the irrigation-related pressure on the environment.


Charts

Figure KM21-1: Total irrigable and irrigated area in Slovenia, 2000-2015
Sources:

Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, 2016.

Show data
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
IRRIGABLE AREA ha 4554 6339 5303 4727 5395 7876 7732 7841
Irrigable area - Sprinkling ha 6063 4947 4372 4967 7301 6890 5417
Irrigable area - Drop by drop ha 276 356 355 428 575 842 2424
Utilised agricultural area (UAA), total ha 508960 509624 505462 509709 490520 508759 490318 498467 492424 468496
SHARE OF IRRIGABLE AREA IN TOTAL UAA % 0.9 1.2 1.1 0.9 1.1 1.6 1.6 1.7
IRRIGATED AREA ha 2535 2621 2292 2741 2329 1812 2837 3759 3642 3733
Arable land ha 1825 1916 1624 2088 1713 1252 2228 3080 2842 2825
Orchards, olive groves, nurseries ha 665 690 658 632 616 560 603 613 634 641
Other ha 45 15 10 21 0 0 6 66 166 267
WATER USE FOR IRRIGATION 1000 m3 6569 8384 5257 6383 4553 2309 6344 4440 1728 1955
IRRIGATION WATER ALLOCATION RATES m3/ha 1442.5 1006.9 858.6 488.5 1175.9 563.7 223.5 249.3
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
IRRIGABLE AREA ha 7604 8299 5500 4772 5222 6084
Irrigable area - Sprinkling ha 5267 5833 5042 0 0 0
Irrigable area - Drop by drop ha 2337 2466 458 0 0 0
Utilised agricultural area (UAA), total ha 482653 458195 479653 478888 482218.4 476861
SHARE OF IRRIGABLE AREA IN TOTAL UAA % 1.6 1.8 1.1 1 1.1 1.3
IRRIGATED AREA ha 3501 3851 2029 2232 2324 3175
Arable land ha 2541 2266 676 824 1036 1716
Orchards, olive groves, nurseries ha 626 710 354 550 409 514
Other ha 334 875 999 858 879 945
WATER USE FOR IRRIGATION 1000 m3 1608 3147 2235 3604 1712 3625
IRRIGATION WATER ALLOCATION RATES m3/ha 211.5 379.2 406.4 755.2 327.8 595.8
Figure KM21-2: The share of irrigable area in total utilised agricultural area in Slovenia and some other EU Member Coutries in 2000, 2007 and 2013
Sources:

Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, 2016;EUROSTAT, 2016.

Show data
Ireland Luxembourg Latvia Estonia Lithuania Poland United Kingdom Czech Republic Slovenia Belgium
2000 % 0 0 0 0 0.9 2.3
2007 % 0 0 0 0.1 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.6 1.7
2013 % 0 0 0 0 0.1 0.5 0.7 1 1 1.5
Croatia Romania Bulgaria Germany Austria Finland Sweden Slovakia Hungary France
2000 % 2.8 4 4.4 10.4 6.8
2007 % 2.8 4.5 3.4 3.6 3.3 5.1 9.5 3.3 9.7
2013 % 1.6 1.8 2.5 4.1 4.4 4.5 5.1 5.2 5.6 10.1
Portugal Denmark Netherlands Spain Greece Italy Cyprus Malta
2000 % 20.5 16.9 24.6 13.3 36.9 29.5
2007 % 16.8 16.4 23.9 14.7 38.2 31 31.4 31
2013 % 15.2 16.8 27 29 31.2 33.1 34.8 38.6

Goals

To increase the extent of irrigable agricultural area by 2020 through upgrading the existing, and constructing new, technologically modern irrigation systems with more efficient water consumption, which should not pose a threat to water sources. The construction of 2,400 hectares of new irrigation systems is planned by 2020.


Under conditions where agriculture is ever more frequently faced with longer periods of drought, irrigation during key phases of growth enables effective increase of the quantity and quality of crops and thus contributes to lower dependence of agricultural production on natural conditions and enables a more stable income. At the same time, irrigation is associated with certain threats to the environment. Water consumption for irrigation may lead to excessive use of water resources causing a greater risk of soil erosion, pollution of waters with nitrates and pesticides, mineralisation of soil and other negative consequences for the environment (reduction of biodiversity, disappearance of habitats, reduction of natural and landscape diversity). These risks can be reduced by the use of more modern and efficient irrigation technologies and by limiting the extent of irrigation so that it does not threat available water resources. Mitigation of these risks are included in the demands of the EU Water Framework Directive. An environmental impact assessment must be conducted and nature protection consent must be issued for any irrigation project. In addition, an analysis of availability of water resources must be carried out and a water permit must be issued.

In 2000, 4,554 hectares or 0.9% of all utilised agricultural area was prepared for irrigation. By 2015, this area grew to 6,084 hectares, which was 1.3% of all utilised agricultural area. The land is mostly prepared for drop by drop irrigation (91.6% in 2012), while the rest is prepared for sprinkling.

In the structure of land that was irrigated at least once over the course of a year, arable land and gardens prevail (54% in 2015). The most frequently irrigated crops are hops, vegetables, fruit, and maize.

Water consumption for irrigation depends mainly on weather conditions in a given year. In 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006, which were the driest years, between 6 and 8 million m3 of water per year (6,920,000 m3 per year on average) was used for irrigation, while in other years, water consumption was lower (3,819,000 m3 per year on average). In the period 2000–2015, average water consumption per hectare of land prepared for irrigation was 620 m3 per year, with a maximum of 1,442 m3 in 2000 and a minimum of 221 m3 in 2010.

In Slovenia, the share of land prepared for irrigation in total utilised agricultural area is among the lowest among the EU Member States. In 2013, this share was lower than in Slovenia (below 1%) in only eight Member States. The greatest shares of land prepared for irrigation are in Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Malta (over 30%), while among Central and Northern European countries, Denmark (more than 16%) and the Netherlands (27%) stand out. In the period 2007–2013, the largest increase in the share of land prepared for irrigation took place in Spain (14%), while in Greece, it decreased by almost 7%.

 

 


Methodology

Date of data source summarization

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