KAZALCI OKOLJA

Key message
Good

Areas, prepared for irrigation, have increased from 4,554 ha to 6,673 ha in the period 2000–2019, and their share in total utilised agricultural area from 0.9 % to 1,4 %. The water consumption per hectare of irrigated land, which strongly depends on weather conditions in each year, has decreased since 2001. In the year 2019 was used 1,030 m3 of water per hectare of irrigated land, which is 27% less than the long-term average and more than three times less than in the year 2001, when 3,199 m3/ha was used.


The indicator shows the area of land prepared for irrigation, irrigated areas and water consumption for the purposes of irrigation in Slovenia in the period 2000–2019, as well as the share of irrigable area in the total utilised agricultural area in the European Union (EU) in 2000, 2010 and 2016. 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 area and areas irrigated in Slovenia; 2000–2019
Sources:

SORS, 2011

Note:

Data: 15.05.2020

Show data
IRRIGABLE AREA [ha] Irrigable area - Sprinkling [ha] Irrigable area - Drop by drop [ha] Utilised agricultural area (UAA), total [ha] SHARE OF IRRIGABLE AREA IN TOTAL UAA [%] IRRIGATED AREA [ha] Arable land [ha] Orchards, olive groves, nurseries [ha] Other [ha] WATER USE FOR IRRIGATION [1000 m3] IRRIGATION WATER ALLOCATION RATES [m3/ha]
2000 4554 508960 0.89 2535 1825 665 45 6569 2591.32
2001 509624 2621 1916 690 15 8384 3198.78
2002 505462 2292 1624 658 10 5257 2293.63
2003 6339 6063 276 509709 1.24 2741 2088 632 21 6383 2328.71
2004 5303 4947 356 490520 1.08 2329 1713 616 0 4553 1954.92
2005 4727 4372 355 508759 0.93 1812 1252 560 0 2309 1274.28
2006 5395 4967 428 490318 1.10 2837 2228 603 6 6344 2236.16
2007 7876 7301 575 498467 1.58 3759 3080 613 66 4440 1181.17
2008 7732 6890 842 492424 1.57 3642 2842 634 166 1728 474.46
2009 7841 5417 2424 468496 1.67 3733 2825 641 267 1955 523.71
2010 7604 5267 2337 482653 1.58 3501 2541 626 334 1608 459.30
2011 8299 5833 2466 458195 1.81 3851 2266 710 875 3147 817.19
2012 5500 5042 458 479653 1.15 2029 676 354 999 2235 1101.53
2013 4772 0 0 478888 1.00 2232 824 550 858 3604 1614.70
2014 5222 0 0 482218 1.08 2324 1036 409 879 1712 736.66
2015 6084 0 0 476862 1.28 3175 1716 514 945 3625 1141.73
2016 5810 0 0 477671 1.22 3133 1735 485 913 3370 1075.65
2017 5997 0 0 481415 1.25 3200 1942 441 817 3898 1218.13
2018 6497 0 0 477296 1.36 3220 2028 430 702 3119 968.63
2019 6673 0 0 479822 1.39 3152 2018 541 560 3247 1030.14
Figure KM21-2: Share of irrigable area in total utilised agricultural area in Slovenia and in other EU Member States
Sources:

SORS, 2011; EUROSTAT, 2016

Note:

Data: 20.04.2020

Show data
2000 [%] 2010 [%] 2016 [%]
Ireland 0 0 0
Luxembourg 0 0 0
Latvia 0.04 0.10 0.03
Lithuania 0.05 0.20
Estonia 0 0.30
Slovenia 0.50 1.10 1.10
Czech Republic 0.90 1.30
Belgium 2.34 1 1.80
Poland 2.34 1 1.80
Croatia 1.70 1.90
Finland 3.97 3 2.40
Romania 3.10 2.70
United Kingdom 0.01 0.60 2.80
Bulgaria 3.10 3
Austria 2.81 3.20 3.70
Slovakia 10.43 5.70 3.90
Germany 3.80 4
Hungary 6.76 5 4.90
Sweden 4.45 5.40 5.20
Denmark 16.90 16.20 8.30
France 8.40 9.70
Portugal 20.50 14.70 15.10
Spain 13.30 15.10 15.70
Netherlands 24.57 26 29.10
Greece 36.87 25.10 29.70
Italy 29.52 29.10 32.60
Malta 27.50 32.90
Cyprus 34 34.10

Goals

  • To increase the extent of irrigated 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 2,815 hectares of new irrigation systems is planned by the end of the year 2023.

Agriculture is increasingly facing longer droughts, so the irrigation at key stages of growth can effectively increase the quantity and quality of crops, and thus contribute to a lower dependency of agricultural production on natural conditions and to more stable incomes in agriculture. At the same time, irrigation is associated with certain risks to the environment. Consumption of water for irrigation can lead to overexploitation of water resources, but may also increase the risk of soil erosion, water pollution by nitrates and pesticides, soil mineralization and other negative consequences for the environment (reduction of biodiversity, habitat loss, reduction of natural and landscape diversity). This risk can be reduced by using modern and more efficient irrigation technologies and with such an extent of irrigation, that does not endanger the available water resources. For such interventions, an environmental impact assessment must be prepared, and a nature protection consent must be issued. Additionally, water permit must be issued and an analysis of the availability of a water source must be issued.

In the year 2000, 4,554 hectares or 0.9% of all utilized agricultural area was prepared for irrigation. In 2019, this area amounted to 6,673 ha, which represents 1.4% of all utilized agricultural area. The vast majority of agricultural land is ready for sprinkling. In 2012, 91.6% of land was prepared for this type of irrigation, and the remaining land was prepared for drip irrigation.

In the year 2019, 3,152 hectares of land were irrigated. The structure of land that was irrigated at least once a year is dominated by fields and gardens (in 2019 the share was 64%), followed by permanent crops (orchards, olive groves and nurseries with 17%). The most commonly irrigated crops are hops, vegetables, fruits, and corn.

Irrigation water consumption depends mainly on the weather conditions in a particular year. The average water consumption per hectare of irrigated land in the period 2000–2019 was 1,411 m3 per year, from a maximum of 3,199 m3 per hectare in 2001 to a minimum of 459 m3 per hectare in 2010. In 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006, which were the driest, between 6 and 8 million m3 of water were used for irrigation per year (on average 6,920,000 m3 per year), while in the remaining years water consumption was lower (on average 3,042,000 m3 per year). In the year 2019 was used 1,030 m3 of water per hectare of irrigated land, which is 27% less than the long-term average and more than three times less than in the year 2001, when 3,199 m3/ha was used.

In Slovenia, the share of irrigated land in terms of total utilised agricultural area is among the lowest within the EU member states. In the year 2016, only five member states had lower share of irrigated land (below 1.0%). In the year 2016, the largest share of irrigated land was in Cyprus, Malta and Italy (over 30%), while the Netherlands had the highest share among other Central and Northern European countries (29%). Between the years 2010 and 2016, the share of areas ready for irrigation increased the most in Malta and Greece (+5 percentage points), while in Denmark it decreased by almost 8 percentage points.


Methodology

Date of data source summarization