Agri-environmental indicator - irrigation

The indicator assesses the trend of the irrigable and irrigated areas and their share of the total utilised agricultural area (UAA). The irrigable area is the area which is equipped for irrigation. This area does not show so much variation from year to year as it is costly for the farmer to invest in irrigation equipment. The irrigated area measures the actual amount of land irrigated and can vary significantly from year to year due to, for instance, meteorological conditions or the choice of crop.