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 2000–2023, as well as the share of irrigable area in the total utilized agricultural area in the European Union (EU) in 2000, 2010, 2016 and 2020. The indicator does not provide direct information on environmental acceptability of irrigation, but indicates the irrigation-related pressure on the environment.

In a situation where agriculture is increasingly faced with longer periods of drought, irrigation in key stages of growth can effectively increase the quantity and quality of crops and thus contribute to less dependence of agricultural production on natural conditions and more stable incomes. At the same time, irrigation is associated with certain environmental risks. The use of water for irrigation can lead to excessive use of water resources, the risk of soil erosion, water pollution with nitrates and pesticides, soil mineralization and other negative consequences for the environment (reduction of biodiversity, disappearance of habitats, reduction of natural and landscape diversity). This risk can be reduced using more modern and rational irrigation technologies and the extent of irrigation that does not threaten the available water resources, which are also the requirements of the EU Water Directive. For all interventions of this kind, in addition to an environmental impact assessment and a nature conservation consent, an analysis of the availability of the water source must also be made and a water permit issued.

In 2000, 4,554 ha, or 0.9% of all agricultural land in use, was prepared for irrigation. In 2023, this area amounted to 6,659 ha, which represents 1.4% of all agricultural land in use. Most of the agricultural land is ready for micro sprinkler irrigation. In 2012, 91.6% of land was prepared for this type of irrigation, while the remaining land was prepared for drip irrigation.

In 2023, 4,058 hectares of land were irrigated. The structure of land that was irrigated at least once a year is dominated by fields and gardens (in 2023, the share was 68%), followed by other land (19%) and permanent plantations (orchards, olive groves and nurseries) and, which has a share of around 12%. The most frequently irrigated crops are hops, vegetables, fruit and corn.

The consumption of water for irrigation depends mainly on the weather conditions in a particular year. The average water consumption per hectare of irrigated land was 1,308 m³  per year in the period 2000-2023, from a maximum of 3,199 m³ per hectare in 2001 to a minimum of 459 m³ per hectare in 2010. In the years 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006, which were the driest, between 6 and 8 million m³ of water was used for irrigation annually (on average 6,9 million m³ annually), until 2021 water consumption was lower (on average 3,1 million m³ annually) while in 2022 increased to 3,4 million m³ and in 2023 increased up to 4,7 million m³.

In Slovenia, the share of land prepared for irrigation in relation to the total agricultural land in use is among the lowest among the EU member states. In 2020, this share was lower than in Slovenia only in the Baltic states and Belgium (data for Irland and Luxembourg in 2020 are not available; the data of the World Bank database for 2020 are not directly comparable with the previous data of the Eurostat database). The largest shares of land prepared for irrigation were in Mediterranean countries (Malta, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Portugal), while among Central and Northern European countries, the Netherlands leads the way (16%).