Feasibility analysis of land use modification for low yield rain fed lands in Kermanshah Province through almond cultivation using water harvesting methods and its impact on soil degradation control and soil productivity improvement

Soil productivity decline caused by inappropriate land use and human factors is the main threat to the functioning of soil resources and ecosystems in different regions of Iran, especially in Kermanshah Province. This research was designed to evaluate the effectiveness almond cultivation with a surface and subsurface harvesting system in improving soil permeability and inhibition of soil erosion in the Razin watershed of Kermanshah province. To this aim, after selecting the study area, some diagnostic features including the soil quality indexes, soil permeability, and soil erosion conditions were measured by field and laboratory methods in the study area and the control area. The results showed that, in the long term, the construction of orchards was able to eradicate all forms of soil degradation. The establishment of new orchards had an inhibitory effect on all forms of erosion, reducing surface erosion by 7.42 tons/hectare and increasing soil permeability by 15 percent. Also, while improving the soil physicochemical properties, the organic carbon content of soil increased by 30 to 118 percent, depending on the stage of establishment.