Land aptitude for horticultural crops and water requirement determination under unsustainable water resources condition.

Abstract

Droughts and pressure on soil and water resources in arid climatic condition call for integrated managements of existing resources. In this research, the sustainability of water resources was analyzed and an agricultural land potential assessment and water demand determination model were proposed. The capabilities of the model were illustrated with sample results for basins at the Kurdistan Province, Iran. The long-term meteorological, climate, hydrometric, and synoptic data were analyzed. The climate zones and annual water potential at each basin were derived. Appropriate maps were extracted in GIS environment to assess the agricultural land capability and crop adaption. The data from synoptic stations was used to obtain crop water requirement by CROPWAT software and FAO guidelines. The results showed that the rainfall and runoff in the study area were affected by climate changes, and in some basins, result shows severe drop. The results of proposed model indicated that diversity and quality of lands with the potential for development in the study area were substantial, and the agricultural lands can be expanded hugely. Considering the unsustainability in water resources, the annual water rate of the basins cannot meet the water demands of land development. The proposed model provides an integrated framework for the application of water management strategies in integrated water resources management.