Abstract:

Agriculture is one of the most important activities that utilize natural systems, and this utilization should only occur where it is economically viable, which is achieved through land suitability assessments. The aim of this study is to determine the qualitative suitability of land for the development of rainfed orchards in the northeast of Khuzestan province, specifically within the districts of Izeh and Baghmalek, for rainfed almond cultivation, as well as to identify and classify the soils of these lands. Based on the American soil classification system, the soils in the study area were classified into two categories: Entisols and Inceptisols. The assessment of land suitability for the development of rainfed orchards for almond cultivation was conducted using the simple limitation method, and the relevant map was created in a GIS environment. The lands within the study area were classified regarding their suitability for rainfed almond cultivation into three suitability classes: S2 and S3, totaling an area of 14,978.18 hectares, which represents 58.64% of the total land, and unsuitable classes N1 and N2, covering an area of 14,133.24 hectares, accounting for 28.42% of the total land.