Exploring Land Suitability for Irrigation Systems in Ardabil Plain

One way to increase water use efficiency in the farms is performing pressurized irrigation system projects. Proper choice of the type of pressurized irrigation system in each region is an important step in the optimum use of water and soil resources (Hejazi Jahromi et al, 2011). Operating pressurized systems requires initial costs, operating costs, energy consumption, and special equipment. Therefore, if it is not chosen wisely, it will ultimately prove a non-economical option. Choosing the best irrigation method in each region depends on several parameters, including required surveys with respect to the conditions of the plain (topography and soil properties), region, crop, quantity and quality of irrigation, and cultural and social characteristics of each project. Therefore, assessment of the feasibility of these systems to make higher returns in a sustainable way is necessary (Gharadaghi et al, 2014). Land suitability is studied in different regions of Iran, including Fars and Hamedan provinces (Rezaei et al, 2014; Akhavan and Ghaemizadeh, 2014), and the world (especially China) (Lio et al, 2013). According to the existing instructions, the choice and design of pressurized irrigation systems should be based on climatic conditions, topographic conditions, soil and water characteristics, crop, energy supply conditions, cultural backgrounds, human resources status, operating conditions and maintenance, and finally costs in each region (Alizadeh, 2007). Therefore, this research has taken into account all the factors affecting the design of different irrigation methods to perform optimal zoning for implementation of various irrigation methods in Ardabil plain in ArcGIS environment.