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 2000–2021, as well as the share of irrigable area in the total utilized 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.

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 2019, this area amounted to 6,673 ha, which represents 1.4% of all agricultural land in use. The vast majority of agricultural land is ready for irrigation. In 2012, 91.6% of land was prepared for this type of irrigation, while the remaining land was prepared for drip irrigation.

In 2021, 4,660 hectares of land were irrigated. The structure of land that was irrigated at least once a year is dominated by fields and gardens (in 2021, the share was 71%), followed by permanent plantations (orchards, olive groves and nurseries) and other land, which has a share of around 15%. 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 1,411 m³ per year in the period 2000-2021, 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 6,920,000 m³ annually), while in the remaining years water consumption was lower (on average 3,079,000 m³ annually).

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 2016, this share was lower than in Slovenia (below 1.0%) in only five member states. In 2016, the largest shares of land prepared for irrigation were in Cyprus, Malta and Italy (over 30%), while among Central and Northern European countries, the Netherlands (29%) is on the rise. Between 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.