Implementation of the VGSSM in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Implementation of the VGSSM in
the Islamic Republic of Iran

SSM is associated with the following characteristics:
1.Minimal rates of soil erosion by water and wind;
2.The soil structure is not degraded (e.g. soil compaction) and provides a stable physical
context for movement of air, water, and heat, as well as root growth;
3.Sufficient surface cover (e.g. from growing plants, plant residues, etc.) is present to protect
the soil;
4.The soil organic matter is stable or increasing and ideally close to the optimal level for the
local environment;
5.Availability and flows of nutrients are appropriate to maintain or improve soil fertility and
productivity, and to reduce their losses to the environment;
6.Soil salinization, sodification and alkalinization are minimal;
7.Water (e.g. from precipitation and supplementary water resources such as irrigation) is
efficiently infiltrated and stored to meet the requirements of plants and ensure the drainage
of any excess;
8.Contaminants are below toxic levels, i.e. those which would cause harm to plants, animals,
humans and the environment;
9.Soil biodiversity provides a full range of biological functions;

General Information of Iran
The Land and the People
• Total area ~1648000 Km2
• Situated in arid and semi arid regions
• Average annual precipitation of ~250 mm
• Total population ~80million (as of 2015) of
which 32% live in rural areas

1.Minimal rates of soil erosion by water and wind;
Watershed area in the territory of water erosion: 125 m ha
Water erosion average: 16.7 ton/ha/year
economical losses from soil erosion: >10 billion dollars/year
0.84
2.73
4.91
6.1
16.7
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Europe Australia North
America
Asia Iran
Comparing soil erosion Iran and world
Tons per hectare
Europe
Australia
North America
Asia
Iran

Sensitive class of formations to Erosion

Percentage of rock resistances to erosion in the country
Resistant
Semi-resistant
Low to Unclaimed

Origin with high intensity
Origin with moderate intensity
Origin with Low intensity
Transition with high intensity
Transition moderate intensity
Transition low intensity
Sedimentation high intensity
Sedimentation moderate
intensity
sedimentation low intensity
Regions affected by wind erosion

Flood Risk Atlas(Hazard and intensity) in 2 and 4 degree basins of Iran

 Spatial Distribution of Soil Conservation and watershed management
 Studies 35 m/ ha
Implementations 27 m/ha
Mitigation And Implementation

Biological measures
like seedling and
plantation of crops
Bio mechanical measures on
hillside
Mortar stone structures and
sapling planting
Small chek dam

Flood control & sediment
trap by stony check dam
Structures for flood control in forest
watersheds (limber Collection dams) in
Mazandaran and Golestan Provinces

Flood spreading and
Recharge water tables
Small earthdam

 Application of the results obtained from the successful implementation of international
projects In Iran (Sustainable Management of Land and Water Resources (Hableh Roud),
The Middle East and North Africa Regional Program for Integrated Sustainable
Development (MENARID)
 Developing the IWM Model in the 33 Pilots basins in Iran based on the Lessons learned
and achievements of successful projects in Iran and also the comparative study with
same projects in the other countries
 Obtaining License for the Establishment of the International Center for Integrated
Watershed Management in Arid and Semi-arid Areas in Iran at the Thirteenth UNESCO
Summit
 Programming THE NATIONAL MEGA PROJECT ON THE INTEGRATED WATERSHED
MANAGEMENT
Develop the IWM model with social participation and
organizational cohesion

Setting up local development offices to
Public Participation in watershed
management
Kamkoueiyeh Village-Yazd Province
Setting up job
creation project with
aim of
Protection of
biological resources
Rural packaging industry
Medicinal Plants

Flood spreading stations
No : 37
Data Duration : 8 years
Flood event : 53
Infiltration vol. : 216 MCM
Infiltration per Hectares : 1000 m3
Monitoring & Evaluation stations
No: 14 Station
Characters: Measuring soil and water
parameters
Watershed management and flood spreading monitoring
Climate monitoring equipment
Monitoring And Evaluation

Suggestions
The issues for collaboration with GSP
Planning and participation
 for Monitoring And Evaluation of soil Erosion & Soil conservation (methods & equipments)
 for Upscaling Best Practices
 Economic costs of soil erosion (direct and indirect impacts)

2. The soil structure is not degraded
(e.g. soil compaction) and provides a
stable physical context for movement
of air, water, and heat, as well as root
growth

Soil Physical Degradation in Iran
Soil physical degradations include:
1. Soil Compaction & Plowpan in Agricultural Soils
2. Soil Compaction in Rangelands and Pastures
3. Crust & Soil Surface Sealing (surface crust)

1. Soil Compaction & Plowpans (Agricultural Soils)
Traffic-induced compaction & Plow induced hardpans
• About 8 million ha of arable lands in Iran are under intensive machinery
operations (irrigated lands).
• Since 1921 which the first tractor was imported, the numbers of tractors has
been increased to about 200000.
• Wheat-corn rotation in irrigated lands is common in many places!

1. Soil Compaction & Plow pans (Agricultural Soils)
Resistance (M pa)
Soildepth(cm)
35302520151050
0 1 2 3 4
Compacted soil
Uncompacted soil
Azadegan (2008), 12 wheat field, Pakdasht, south-west of Tehran
Based on the results of “Soil Quality and Nutrient Cycling Assessment” Project (SWRI, not published):
• At least 10 percent of agricultural soils have the problem of soil compaction!

1. Soil Compaction & Plow pans (Agricultural Soils)
Based on personal communication with our colleagues doing filed soil survey:
• Powpans has been recognized in many cases in the surveyed agricultural fields
• But there is no analysis and it has not been documented yet!
One of our priority in Iran for SSM is to document soil compaction and plowpan!

Soil compaction by grazing livestock
The total number of livestock's (2017) is 73.6 million.
• Sheep: 46.6 million
• Goat: 18.5 million
• Cow: 8.1 million
• Buffalo: 215000
• Camel: 184000
2. Soil Compaction in Rangelands and Pastures
This is 2.2 times of the rangelands grazing capacity!
About 70 percent of livestock’s production is
based on rangeland/pasture grazing!
• It is likely to have soil compaction in rangeland!
• But there is no national information in this case!

3. Soil surface crust & structural crust
•Soil aggregate breakdown during rainfall events will result in formation of surface
sealing (surface crust)
• This crust affects many soil behaviors like infiltration and aeration which are
critical for soil quality

3. Mud flow 3. Soil surface crust & structural
crust

Spatial distribution of soil physical sampling points (nearly 41000 sample)
OC Texture EC SAR
Bulk
density
FC PWP
40280 36639 10253 1607 1500 745 700

Soil erosion
Watershed area under water erosion: 125 m ha
Water erosion average is BLM: 16.7 ton/ha/year
Economical impacts from soil erosion: >10 billion dollars/year
The lowest estimation of average soil erosion in Iran: 6 t/ha/y
(Arabkhedri, based on suspended sediment measurements)
Considering the tolerable soil loss in Iran which is based on
soil formation and is < 0.5 t/ha/y in average, the soil erosion
rate is at leased 12 times of tolerable!
The total area of Gully erosion in 20 provinces is: 1.19 Mh (Soufi)
More than 10000 landslides has been detected!
Conclusion:

1. Monitoring and documentation of soil physical degradation
(compaction, crust and plowpan); soil water balance
2. Soil Biodiversity
The issues for collaboration with GSP

3.Sufficient surface cover (e.g.
from growing plants, plant
residues, etc.) is present to
protect the soil

4.The soil organic matter is stable or increasing and
ideally close to the optimal level for the local
environment;

Range of organic carbon content in agricultural soils of Iran
21.6%
40.0%
24.4%
14.0%
Very low <0.5%
Low 0.5-1%
Medium 1-1.5%
Optimum >1.5%
In 23700 soil samples
Balali et al. (2014)
SOC in
>60 percent of
soils is <1%

Changes of soil Organic carbon in several regions
Region Number of
Sample
SOC (1966) * Number of
Sample
SOC (2017) **
Gilan 231 3.63 1162 2.10
Mazandaran 188 2.29 1904 1.90
Golestan 85 1.97 2730 1.30
Central Fars 570 1.06 540 0.9
Isfehan 111 1.01 1056 0.50
Urmia 171 0.97 1953 1.20
Qazvin 122 0.58 184 0.70
Khorasan 387 0.98 325 0.7
*FAO report (1966)
** Soil nutrient databank (2017)

Three major reasons for lack of OC in soils of Iran
• Climatic condition
 With the exception of north and some western regions of the country, there is not
enough capacity to the accumulation of organic carbon in soil because of the dry
and semi-dry condition.
• Undeveloped soils (Entisol, Inceptisol and Aridisol)
 Unsuitability of soil quality (shallow depth, salinity and alkalinity, water logging,
low fertility of soils) affects the growth and development of plants and afterwards
the low amount of SOC storage
• Improper soil and crop management
 Limited use of organic fertilizers,
 Burning crop residues,
 Inappropriate crop rotation and cropping system (e.g. monoculture),
 Land use change (23 to 58 percent drop in SOC content because of the rangeland
change to dry farming in western regions of Iran),
 Irregular and deep tillage

y = -0.014x2 + 0.496x + 1.949
R ² = 0.64, P <0.01
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
WheatYield(tha-1)
SOC Content (g kg-1)
286 (kg ha -1) increase in wheat yield per
1 (g kg-1) increase in soil organic carbon
(202 field survey)
Keshavarz et al. (2013)
Soil organic carbon effects on wheat production sustainability

4312/4/2018
Digital Soil Mapping
Observation Points
4201

‫رورد‬ ‫می‬ ‫انتظار‬:
÷‫یک‬ ‫سال‬ ‫دو‬ ‫هر‬ ‫نقشه‬ ‫این‬ ‫خاک‬ ‫آلی‬ ‫کربن‬ ‫نقشه‬ ‫تهیه‬ ‫اتمام‬ ‫از‬ ‫س‬‫بار‬
‫گردد‬ ‫رسانی‬ ‫بروز‬.

5.Availability and flows of nutrients are
appropriate to maintain or improve soil
fertility and productivity, and to reduce
their losses to the environment;

‫ایران‬ ‫کشور‬ ‫در‬...‫و‬ ‫دولتی‬ ‫آزمایشگاه‬....‫آزمایشگاه‬
‫آزمایشگ‬ ‫این‬ ‫در‬ ‫که‬ ‫است‬ ‫شده‬ ‫تاسیس‬ ‫تاکنون‬ ‫خصوصی‬‫اهها‬
‫زراعی‬ ‫و‬ ‫باغی‬ ‫محصوالت‬ ‫برای‬ ‫غذایی‬ ‫عناصر‬ ‫بحرانی‬ ‫حد‬
‫است‬ ‫شده‬ ‫تهیه‬.‫ازمایش‬ ‫این‬ ‫نیاز‬ ‫رسانی‬ ‫بروز‬ ‫و‬ ‫تجهیز‬‫گاهها‬
‫باشد‬ ‫می‬ ‫انتظار‬ ‫مورد‬.‫براسا‬ ‫باید‬ ‫کوددهی‬ ‫میزان‬ ‫چراکه‬‫س‬
‫پذیرد‬ ‫صورت‬ ‫خاک‬ ‫واقعی‬ ‫نیاز‬.

Passing the low of “Permission for establishing private soil & plant labs” in the
parliament in 1992
4/15/2019 47

Zone Nutrients
(critical level mg/kg)
P
(<15)
K
(<200)
Fe
(7.5)
Zn
(<1.0)
Mn
(<6.0)
Cu
(<1.0)
Central 68.1* 17.9 61.3 59.2 17.9 18.3
Caspian Sea Coastline 61.2 48.6 16 59.8 36.4 6.6
North West 77.3 12.5 79.1 76.2 32.4 22.9
Central Zagros 72.9 17.5 76.4 75.7 41.5 33
Khuzestan 88.1 59.9 79.8 62.8 83.5 47.6
North Dry 69 40 45.9 39.9 29.3 22
South Zagros 61.1 26.6 48.7 77.2 17.8 24.7
South Coast 85.2 74.4 100 34.8 17.4 95.7
South Dry 74.5 48 75.5 70.3 31.9 38.4
Khorasan 73.7 25.1 85.3 65.7 23.3 39.9
Average 72.1 30.3 67.6 71.6 37.6 30.5
Distribution of nutrient deficit in soils of different AEZ
* Percentage of soil samples

• Period 1. (1957-1984)
With the establishment of the Department of Soil genesis and Soil Fertility
in 1339 and in cooperation with FAO. The most important goal of soil
fertility research was the development of chemical fertilizer use.
• Period 2. (1985-1995)
With the expanding the establishment of soil and plant analysis laboratory,
research on site specific nutrient management was developed
• Period 3. (1996-2010)
Research continued with the aim of diversifying fertilizer use and
balanced plant nutrition
• Period 4. (2011-to now)
Integrated nutrient management was considered as the main strategy in
research with a holistic and participatory approach.
Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition Research Over Time

Integrated soil fertility and plant nutrition management
(Appling chemical, organic and/or biological fertilizers to meet the plant nutrient needs
and embracing to the climate, environment and Socio-economic condition
•Compost/manure
•Green manure
•Organic matter
•Biological fixation
•Chemical fertilizers
•Residual effect of nutrient
•Expected yield
•Nutrient uptake
•Variety selection (Germplost)
•Cropping pattern
•Water management
•Management of pests, diseases and weeds
•Reducing erosion
•pH balance
•Reducing nutrient loss
•Increasing nutrient availability
•Soil texture
•pH
•Soil salinity
•Soil dryness
•Soil Organic matter
•Leaching
•Erosion
•Nutrient availability
Environment,
Economy and
Social situation

IPN and ISFM is dependent on biological
processes, compatible with germplasms, soil
and climatic conditions, strengthening soil
biological activity by optimizing the nutrient
cycle to minimize the use of external inputs
and maximizing the nutrient use efficiency

Main Research Priorities
1) Monitoring the fertility of the soil in time and space, updating and
completion of soil fertility information bank
2) Using remote and proximal sensing for diagnosis nutritional
disorders of plants
3) Determining suitable multiple criteria indices for interpreting soil
analysis data
4) Nutrient cycling, nutrient budgeting
5) Estimating the capacity of soils in reserving organic carbon,
achieving the optimum and desirable amount of organic carbon in
soil to obtain sustainable soil fertility and good soil ecological
services
6) Study the impact of different soil fertility and crop management on
SOC storage and dynamics
7) Nutrient management in conservation agriculture
8) Evaluation of various soil fertility and plant nutrition management
(Integrated soil fertility, site-specific nutrient, spoon feeding, …) to
sustain different cropping systems
9) Optimizing soil fertility and plant nutrition management to produce
healthy food, mitigate and adapt to climate change

6.Soil salinization, sodification and
alkalinization are minimal;

‫خاك‬ ‫شوري‬ ‫نقشه‬ ‫تهیه‬

Area, salinity levels and distribution of agricultural land in the province, which only
have a limitation of salinity and soil alkalinity
Area% Area(ha) provinces limitation classes
7.5 320355 Provinces- group 1 A IIA
20 859940
provinces- group 2
A IIIA
57 2435460
provinces- group3
A VA
15.5 662375
Provinces- group 4
A VIA
100 4278130
All provinces
total

Primary salinity:
most of salt-affected land has a
natural origin. Salts formed by
weathering of rocks or natural
external inputs.
Secondary Salinization:
close to 20% of salt-affected lands,
have a "man-made" origin. Human
activity refer to agricultural practices
and in particular to irrigation.
Source of salt and Salinization in Iran
Gholestan province

Source of salt in Iran’s soil
1. Natural causes
-Geological conditions :
A large part of country is
composed of salt formation and is
actually the main source of salt in
the plain.
- Climatic factors ( evaporation
,wind …).
-Transfer of salt from catchment or
salty area to cropping fields-
Stream salinity causing salinization
of surface water resources.

2. human-induced causes
oOver exploitation of groundwater
oPoor subsurface drainage system
oDrainage water :Spreading drainage water in
agricultural lands
oprogressing of saline water toward agricultural
land
oUsing saline water to irrigate agricultural land.
oOver irrigation
oDeficit irrigation
oOvergrazing
oimproper land leveling.

o Implementing subsurface drainage
system to manage water table and
control salinity level in order to improve
agricultural area (640000 ha)- leaching
and drainage a.
o Installing an interceptor drainage system
to protect agricultural area and prevent
movement of salinity toward cropped
land
Activities and schemes ( projects)

o Improvement and reclamation of
saline and sodic soils (Chemical
Methods)
o Reducing salinity level using
Biological Methods via growing
plants on area(crop-based
management a.)
o Providing a database for saline
soil resources
o implementation of The training
programs

Improvement of agricultural lands with
implementing modernization schemes
in northern and southern Iran more than
550 hectares during 5 past year 1700)
ha)
Management of saline drainage water to
prevent entering within agricultural land
Cultivation of tolerant plants to salinity in
area that are sensitive to erosion. In the
central region and southern Iran
Salinity control in northern and southern (Khuzestan) Iran
gholestan
qazvin
khuzestan

‫با‬ ‫آمدن‬ ‫کنار‬
‫شوری‬
‫شوری‬ ‫مدیریت‬ ‫پایش‬‫شوری‬
‫سطح‬ ‫در‬
‫و‬ ‫منطقه‬
‫حوضه‬
‫دشت‬
‫مزرعه‬

‫شرایط‬ ‫در‬ ‫گندم‬ ‫تولید‬ ‫سازي‬ ‫بهینه‬
‫شور‬.
‫اراضي‬ ‫در‬ ‫آب‬ ‫مصرف‬ ‫كارائي‬ ‫بهبود‬
‫كرخه‬ ‫رودخانه‬ ‫حوضه‬ ‫دست‬ ‫پایین‬
(‫پروژه‬CP.)
‫كشاورزي‬ ‫اراضي‬ ‫شوري‬ ‫وضعیت‬ ‫ارزیابي‬
‫خوزستان‬ ‫استان‬ ‫در‬(‫با‬ ‫مشترك‬IWMI
.)
‫اي‬ ‫علوفه‬ ‫شورپسند‬ ‫گیاهان‬ ‫تولید‬
(‫با‬ ‫مشترك‬ICBA.)
‫باغات‬ ‫در‬ ‫آب‬ ‫مصرف‬ ‫بهینه‬ ‫استفاده‬
‫اردكان‬ ‫شمال‬ ‫پسته‬(‫با‬ ‫مشترك‬
‫دانشگاه‬DAVIS.)
‫خاص‬ ‫هاي‬‫پروژه‬

‫مناطق‬ ‫در‬ ‫شورورزی‬ ‫های‬ ‫سیستم‬ ‫توسعه‬
‫استفاده‬ ‫قابل‬ ‫غیر‬ ‫شور‬ ‫آب‬ ‫منابع‬ ‫با‬
‫رایج‬ ‫زراعی‬ ‫محصوالت‬ ‫برای‬
‫کینوا‬‫پانیکوم‬
‫سالیکور‬
‫نیا‬
‫آتریپلک‬
‫س‬

Suggestions:
Approaches used to improve salt-prone soils
1. Conservation, reclamation and optimal utilization from agricultural soil
resources based on the sustainable development.
2. Reduce salinity level and prevent saline land .
3. protecting agricultural area from progressing salinity
4. development of subsurface drainage system to manage groundwater
table and control salinity level
5. Collaboration with research center in research projects to find proper
solution
6.Providing a road map to mange and control soil salinity.

7.Water (e.g. from precipitation and supplementary
water sources such as irrigation) is efficiently
infiltrated and stored to meet the requirements of
plants and ensure the drainage of any excess;

The project was launched in the year 75 as the project of
the province's agricultural development capability in
seven areas of studies and research, natural resources
and watershed management, infrastructure engineering
services and land preparation and development of
horticulture, livestock and aquaculture, agricultural
mechanization, conversion and complementary
industries, systems And operating organizations, with a
total of 2,146 billion USD, were set up by national
experts.

‫ها‬ ‫برنامه‬:
‫آبیاری‬ ‫راندمان‬ ‫افزایش‬
‫کشاورزی‬ ‫آب‬ ‫مصرف‬ ‫کاهش‬
‫آبیاری‬ ‫کانالهای‬ ‫بهسازی‬
‫زراعی‬ ‫به‬(‫کشت‬ ‫الگوی‬ ‫تغییر‬)
‫نژادی‬ ‫به‬
‫آب‬ ‫حسابداری‬
‫خاک‬ ‫و‬ ‫آب‬ ‫منابع‬ ‫جامع‬ ‫مدیریت‬
‫کشاورزی‬ ‫خاک‬ ‫و‬ ‫آب‬ ‫بهروری‬ ‫افزایش‬
‫آبیاری‬ ‫نوین‬ ‫های‬ ‫سامانه‬ ‫توسعه‬
‫گیاهان‬ ‫آب‬ ‫مصرف‬ ‫گیری‬ ‫اندازه‬
‫گیاهان‬ ‫آبی‬ ‫نیاز‬ ‫محاسبه‬
‫ظرفیتها‬:
‫کشاورزی‬ ‫آب‬ ‫کانالهای‬ ‫سازی‬ ‫بهینه‬
‫آبیاری‬ ‫نوین‬ ‫های‬ ‫سامانه‬ ‫توسعه‬

8.Contaminants are below toxic levels, i.e. those
which would cause harm to plants, animals,
humans and the environment;

‫در‬‫ایران‬‫بعلت‬‫پائین‬‫بودن‬‫سطح‬‫ایستابی‬‫سفره‬‫های‬‫آبهای‬‫ز‬‫یر‬
‫زمینی‬‫و‬‫همچنین‬‫پاک‬‫بودن‬‫این‬‫آبها‬‫آلودگی‬‫چندانی‬‫مشاهده‬‫ن‬‫می‬
‫گردد‬‫و‬‫تنها‬‫به‬‫شکا‬‫پراکنده‬‫و‬‫نقطه‬‫ایی‬‫در‬‫برخی‬‫ار‬‫مناطق‬‫ب‬‫ر‬
‫اساس‬‫صنایع‬‫موجود‬‫نظیر‬،‫مس‬،‫آهن‬،‫روی‬‫قلع‬،‫باتری‬‫سازی‬‫و‬
‫تاسسیسات‬‫نفتی‬‫به‬‫شکل‬‫موردی‬‫دیده‬‫می‬‫شود‬.

Article 50 [Preservation of the Environment]
In the Islamic Republic, The preservation of
the environment, in which the present as well
as the future generations have a right to
flourishing social existence, is regarded as a
public duty in the Islamic Republic. Economic
and other activities that inevitably involve
pollution of the environment or cause
irreparable damage to it are therefore
forbidden. .
Article 50, Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran

76
Overview of existing environmental management legislation in Iran
Main emphasisYearName of legislation
National level
Legal framework for waste management2004Waste Management Law
Air pollution control (Stationary sources)2017Clean Air Act
Prohibits water pollution1994The Amendment of Water Pollution Prevention Guideline
Punishment for polluting environment1996Islamic Penal Code of Iran
Prohibits environmental pollution1974The Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA)
Conducting an EIA for solid waste
management projects
2017Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines and
Framework
Solid waste disposal1955Municipality law
Disposal of hazardous waste, Recycling
Implementation of WML, Revitalization of
landfill
2003Vision 2025
International level
Transboundary movement and management
of hazardous and other wastes
1994Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary
Movements of Hazardous Waste and Their Disposal
Protect human health and the environment
from Persistent Organic Pollutants
2001The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
Local level
Municipal Waste Management2009Tehran’s Integrated Waste Management Plan
Guidelines for Calculating urban Waste Management Fees

Executive bylaws Waste Management in Iran
77
 The WML is supplemented by executive bylaws that contain specific
provisions for the various types of waste with respect to waste
generation avoidance, reduction, recycling, and disposal as well as
collection and transport that include:
 Medical waste management
 Agricultural Waste Management
 Industrial Waste Management Regulation
 Waste landfils
 Electrical and Electronic Waste Management
 PCB ( polychlorinated biphenyls) Waste Management (POPs),
Stockholm Convention
 Waste Incineration

• Development of National Soil Pollution Atlas has been started in 13
provinces among 30,
• In this projects, the major hotspots (contaminated lands) and also the main
sources of contamination would be identified and prioritized for remediation
act.
• Also, based on this project a master plan would be defined to control, reduce,
and prevent the pollution and to implement the structural or non-structural
means of pollution control.
• Soil Reclamation and Its Monitoring
• Monitoring the Prevention of pollution
• Soil Health Indicators, Including Soil Biodiversity (Needs
to be linked to VGSSM and WSC)
• Organizational Integration in Policy Development,
Implementation and monitoring
1- Projects of Soil Pollution Prevention
projects

1- Soil Pollution Atlas
GIS based studies
 Fate and transport studies
Soil pollutant impact assessment on
water resources and
Identifying and determining high risk
regions based on pollution potential, land
use and soil sensitivity of the region
Identifying pollution trends based on
possible future pollution source and the
national 5-year development plans

Produce Zoning
Maps
Produce Sensitivity
and Risk Maps
Monitoring plans
………..
Create
Geo-database
Sampling pattern
Sampling& preparation
Deliver to laboratory
Quality and Control
Collect all Information,
Maps, and Satellite
Images
Field Visits, Preparation,
and Completion of
Pollution Forms
Produce GIS maps
and attributes
Work Plan
Classification based
on the use intensity of
soil
Analysis
Result Discussion
and Analysis
1- Soil Pollution Atlas

2- Contamination potentioal maps based on pollutant sources
Agricultural pollution map
• For mapping of agricultural contamination,
the ratio of fertilizer and pesticide
consumption to agricultural land in each
basin was used.
Industrial pollution map
• Industrial pollution assessment maps based on
the total amount of industrial wastewater
parameters of the area, the number of
industrial towns of the area, the number of
industrial units and the number of employees
of the area took place.

Contamination maps based on pollutant sources
Urban pollution map
• To produce a map of urban pollution, the average
annual production of municipal waste was compared to
the area of the basin.
Total pollution map (based on pollutant sources)

84
3- Iranian Soil Standard and its guidelines

4-Site selection for Hazardous waste disposal
Department of the Environment (DOE) of Iran
Embarked on site selection projects for Hazardous
Waste Treatment Center (HWTC) for each of the
provinces across the country, within the past three
years.

• Scope of the work: In all provinces in two scales: 1:250,000
and 1:20,000
• GIS-Based with numerous layers of information including
• Meteorological
• Hydrological
• Hydrogeological
• Geological
• Accessebility
• EIA
• Population
• Land use, industrial zones, Soil maps, …
4- Site selection for Hazardous waste disposal

Study Area
Tehran
Located in a semi-arid area
Hosting around 12 million people
Different Industries
Nazarabad
Charmshahr
Pishva
Aliabad
Abbasabad
Kharazmi
Firozkoh
Parand
Shamsabad
Eshtehard

Layers of Information Used:
 Population distribution (7 data layers)
 Educational, recreational and populated centers (19 data
layers)
 Hydrology & Hydrogeology (19 data layers)
 Geology (6 data layers)
 Land-use (19 data layers)
 Road and transportation line (14 data layers)
 Industrial zones (14 data layers)

‫ات‬‫ر‬‫انتظا‬:
‫کشور‬ ‫خاکهای‬‫الودگی‬ ‫نظر‬‫از‬‫انی‬‫ر‬‫بح‬‫نقاط‬‫افیایی‬‫ر‬‫جغ‬ ‫موقعیت‬ ‫تعین‬(‫نقشه‬ ‫تهیه‬)

9.Soil biodiversity provides a full range of biological functions;

‫سیستم‬‫کشاورزی‬‫ایرن‬‫به‬‫دلیل‬‫محدود‬‫بودن‬‫منابع‬‫خاک‬‫اغلب‬‫به‬
‫صورت‬‫فشرده‬‫انجام‬‫می‬‫شود‬‫که‬‫محدودیتهای‬‫ناشی‬‫از‬‫خشکس‬‫الی‬
‫و‬‫اقلیم‬‫حاکم‬‫بر‬‫این‬‫کشور‬‫باعث‬‫تغییرات‬‫در‬‫سطوح‬‫ماکرو‬‫و‬
‫میکرو‬‫شده‬‫است‬.‫اقدامات‬‫انجام‬‫شده‬:
‫اخیرا‬‫تولید‬‫کودهای‬‫بیولوژیکی‬‫و‬‫اصالح‬‫کننده‬‫های‬‫خاک‬‫همر‬‫اه‬‫با‬
‫تولید‬‫محرکهای‬‫رشد‬‫و‬‫استفاده‬‫از‬‫کودهای‬‫آلی‬‫مورد‬‫توجه‬‫قرا‬‫ر‬
‫گرفته‬‫و‬‫افزایش‬‫کربن‬‫آلی‬‫خاکها‬‫نیز‬‫در‬‫مقررات‬‫باالدست‬‫ی‬‫نظام‬
‫مورد‬‫توجه‬‫قرار‬‫گرفته‬‫و‬‫جزو‬‫ماموریتهای‬‫اساسی‬‫بخش‬
‫کشاورزی‬‫می‬‫باشد‬.
‫در‬‫این‬‫راستا‬100‫حدود‬‫کارخانه‬‫تولید‬‫انواع‬‫کمپوست‬‫از‬‫بقایای‬
‫مواد‬‫آلی‬‫اعم‬‫از‬‫کشاورزی‬‫و‬‫یا‬‫منشا‬‫حیوانی‬‫و‬‫زباله‬‫شهری‬‫در‬
‫سطح‬‫کشورایجاد‬‫شده‬‫است‬.

10.The soil management systems for producing food, feed, fuel,
timber, and fibre rely on optimized and safe use of inputs; and

‫ازایجاد‬‫سامانه‬‫های‬‫مدرن‬‫بهره‬‫برداری‬‫کشاورزی‬‫از‬‫جمله‬:‫ایجاد‬‫شرکتهای‬
‫تعاونیهای‬‫تولید‬،‫کشاورزی‬‫انجمن‬‫های‬،‫آببران‬‫تشکلهای‬‫مردم‬‫نهاد‬(NGO)،
‫تجهیز‬‫و‬‫نوسازی‬،‫اراضی‬‫اصالح‬‫و‬‫بهبود‬‫خاک‬(‫زهکشی‬‫اراضی‬)،
‫کشاورزی‬‫حفاظتی‬
‫تجهیز‬‫و‬‫نوسازی‬‫اراضی‬(‫شالیزاری‬‫و‬‫خشکه‬‫زاری‬)‫که‬‫توسط‬‫معاونت‬‫ا‬‫ب‬
‫و‬‫خاک‬‫و‬‫شرکت‬‫جهاد‬‫نصر‬‫انجام‬‫شده‬1300‫هزار‬‫هکتار‬‫از‬‫برنامه‬‫اول‬
‫توسعه‬1368،‫زهکشی‬‫زیرزمینی‬‫در‬‫این‬‫اراضی‬400‫هزار‬‫هکتار‬‫انجام‬
‫شده‬‫است‬.
‫اقدامات‬‫انجام‬‫شده‬‫در‬‫زهکشی‬‫اراضی‬(640‫هزار‬‫هکتار‬)‫شامل‬:
‫کاهش‬‫سطح‬‫آب‬‫زیر‬‫زمینی‬
‫آبشویی‬‫یا‬‫کاهش‬‫نمک‬
‫اصالح‬‫خاکها‬
‫در‬5÷‫ایلوت‬‫در‬‫ایران‬‫کشاورزی‬‫حفاظتی‬‫انجام‬‫شده‬‫است‬(،‫قزوین‬،‫فارس‬
‫لرستان‬،‫خراسان‬‫رضوی‬‫و‬‫خوزستان‬‫در‬‫حدود‬2‫تا‬3‫هزار‬‫هکتار‬)

95
Location & History
Soil & Water Conservation Research Center of the
University of Tehran (UTSWCRC), is located in Koohin
region, between the Qazvin and Rasht.
The center was established since 1969, under
administration of the ministry of Agriculture, and was
transferred to the Faculty of Agriculture, University of
Tehran in 1999.

96
Satellite image of UTSWCRC
Weather stationNursery Machinery workshop
Office

97
Weather stationNursery Machinery workshop
Office

98
Some of the center activities
 Changinge the pattern of spring crops to autumn
planting.
 Lentil seed registration named “Sabze Pardis” cultivar.
 Chickpea seed registration, named “ Kahroba Pardis”
cultivar.
 Identification and introduction of seeds of legumes and
forage crops is also on the agenda.
 Construction of dry land orchards on slope area as a
pilot project.

99
Conventional tillage (Moldboard plow)
(High disturbance and horizontal
displacement of soil)
Tillage and cultivation in slope
direction
Conventional dry land farming
(Runoff and Soil Erosion)

100
Conservation Agriculture Systems
Three principles and some complementary aspects:
1. Minimizing the soil disturbance (No-till, Min. till, ….. ),
- Reducing the operation time and costs, improvement of soil quality.
2. Management of Crop residue,
- Increasing SOC, Improving plant nutrition, Enhancing soil microbial
activities, thermal adjustment.
3. applying of appropriate crop rotation,
- Soil quality improvement and pests & weeds control,
Other practices,
- Mixed cropping, improved seeds, Manure & fertilizers, and other
useful crop management measures.

101
Conservation tillage
Retention of at least
30% crop residue on
soil surface
Conservation
tillage (Minimum
Tillage)
Conservation
tillage equipment
No tillage (Direct
Seeding) No Tillage planter

103
Conservation agriculture measures have been
implemented more than 8 years in UTSWCRC.
Some of the significant results of the project are
presented here as:
1- The effects on soil quality,
2- Economic achievements.

104
Effects of pilot project on Soil Quality Improvement
- Increasing the SOC content:
(Improved soil quality, Carbon sequestration, and reduction of
Greenhouse gases).
- Improvement of soil phosphorus and potassium,
(Enhanced soil fertility, and reduced fertilizer use).
- Modification of soil physical properties
(Hardpans removal, reducing of soil surface cracks, increased soil
aggregate stability and infiltration rate, improving the soil porosity
status and water holding capacity).

105
Effects of pilot project on Soil Quality Improvement (Continued)
- Reduction of runoff and elimination of soil erosion,
- Preventing of evaporation, and soil moisture loss, and
increasing the rain water productivity.
- Adjustment of soil temperature in summer and winter, and
providing suitable conditions for seed germination and
plant establishment.
- Enhancing the biological activities, and increasing nitrogen
fixation by 100 percent.

106
Soil Organic Carbon
Percent
Tillage Type
Conv. Red. NT Cons. Conv. Red. NT Cons. Conv. Red. NT Cons.
0 – 10 cm 10 – 20 cm 20 – 30 cm
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2

107
Infiltration Rate
cm/min.
Tillage Type
Conv. Till Red. Till No Till Cons. Till
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0

108
Aggregate stability (1-2 mm)
Percent
Tillage Type
0 – 10 cm 10 – 20 cm 20 – 30 cm91
89
87
85
83
81
79

109
Plant available water
Percent
Tillage Type
0 – 10 cm 10 – 20 cm 20 – 30 cm
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8

110
Available P
mg/kg
Tillage Type
0 – 10 cm 10 – 20 cm 20 – 30 cm
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

111
Available K
mg/kg
Tillage Type
0 – 10 cm 10 – 20 cm 20 – 30 cm600
500
400
300
200
100

112
Microbial Population
106/gr.soil
Tillage Type
0 – 10 cm 10 – 20 cm 20 – 30 cm
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

113
Biomass Microbial Carbon
mg/kg
Tillage Type
0 – 10 cm 10 – 20 cm 20 – 30 cm
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0

114
Microbial Respiration Rate
mgco2/kgsoil.day
Tillage Type
0 – 10 cm 10 – 20 cm 20 – 30 cm
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0

115
Dehydrogenase Enzyme Activity
μgTPF/kgdrymatter.day
Tillage Type
0 – 10 cm 10 – 20 cm 20 – 30 cm16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

116
The economic achievement of project(cost-benefit)
 Reduction of production costs ( by 35 %)
 Increasing of crop production ( by 100 %)
 Reducing the time of machinery operation (by 65%)
 Reduction of energy consumption (by 80%)
 Increasing net income of farmers (By 500 %)

117
Comparison of wheat yield in different tillage systems
(kg/ha)
Tillage Type
No Till Red. Till Cons. Till Conv. Till
347
761
720
652

118
Total dry matter of Wheat (TDM)
(kg/ha)
Tillage Type
Conv. Till Cons. Till Red. Till No Till
3150
3535
4271
2238
4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0

119
Gross income of wheat productionUSD/ha
Tillage Type
137
288
263
237
350
315
280
245
210
175
140
105
70
35
0

120
Machinery operation time (min/ha)min/ha
Tillage Type
Conv. Till Cons. Till Red. Till No Till
87
159149
390
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0

121
Tillage cost
USD/ha
Tillage Type
43
1718
10
47
40
33
27
20
13
7
0

122
Fuel consumption (liter/ha)(litre/ha)
Tillage Type
117
22
32
13

123
Wheat production costUSD/kg
Tillage Type
0.30
0.10
0.110.105
0.33
0.30
0.26
0.23
0.20
0.17
0.13
0.10
0.07
0.03
0

124
Net income of wheat production
Tillage Type
0.10
0.28
0.250.26
0.30
0.26
0.23
0.20
0.17
0.13
0.10
0.07
0.03
0
USD/kg

125
Net income of wheat productionUSD/ha
Tillage Type
36
213
187
169
223
200
167
133
100
67
33
0

126
Other benefits of CA pilot project
o Elimination of fallow from the three year rotation system in the
region, and replacing the best crop in rotation, or implementing
green fallow instead of black fallow (Increased area for
cultivation, by 30%)
o Create favorable conditions for mechanized harvesting of some
crops such as chickpea in the region, and facilitate operations.
o Reducing the damages caused by frost, weeds, disease and
pests.
o Helping to fulfill the international obligations of the IRI in
relation to environmental issues (carbon sequestration and

127
An Important Note
The findings of the project has been confirmed by the ministry
of agriculture-Jahad, and strongly accepted by farmers in
different provinces over the past few years.
At past cropping year (2017-2018), in the Qazvin province,
about 300 ha. of private land have been cultivated under the
consultation of our research center, that had surprising results
for farmers.
Therefore, at current cropping year (2018-2019), more
than 1500 ha. is under cultivation using conservation
tillage.

11.Soil sealing is minimized through responsible land
use planning.

Iran
Agriculture
Production
(million tons)
Percentage
Area
(million ha)
Physical Area
__100164.8Area of the country
1048.914.7Cultivated area
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, 2015 & 2016

Changes in Per Capita of Agricultural
Lands in Iran Over Time
Year Population
(million people)
Cultivated Area
(million ha)
Per Capita Land
(ha)
1993 57 15.5 0.27
2003 68 17.7 0.26
2014 79 16.4 0.21
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, 2015 & 2016

Distribution of plot sizes:
Plot Size
(ha)
Area
(m ha)
Percent
Number of
Farm-holders
(million)
Percent
< 5 0.3 ~18% 2.5 ~75%
5 < 50 10.4 ~58% 0.8 ~23%
50 < 4.0 ~23% 0.1 ~1%
14.7 3.4

Soil Sealing & Land use change
•during 40 years (1955-2001) about 190000 ha LUC due to expansion of 6 big cities!
• from Mar 2006- Mar 2018 total land use change was about 136000 ha
• average annual rate of LUC is about 11000 ha

Illegal Land Use Change
• According to the articles 3 and 10 of the act, changing the
land use of agricultural lands is prohibited, punishable
based on verdict of courts by:
• Demolition of the structures
• Fines equal to 100% up to 300% of the price of land after
land use change
• Furthermore, people who commit illegal land use change
more than once may also be subject to a maximum of 6
months of incarceration

Land Use Change statistics
Year
With Permits Illegal
Count Area (ha) Count Area (ha)
1385 (Mar 2006-Mar 2007) 7272 9122 4507 1478
1386 8416 5744 5373 1517
1387 7397 5864 9305 3010
1388 8450 6346 9099 5911
1389 10032 6512 9262 2825
1390 9903 9719 7554 1627
1391 11105 7578 8827 2628
1392 11635 10671 10188 3178
1393 9715 4998 14441 7843
1394 9398 3868 30236 6760
1395 12584 5422 32080 3741
1396 (Mar 2017-Mar 2018) 14122 15197 19376 7422
Sum (Mar 2006- Mar 2018) 120029 91040 160248 45241

Map of Land Use Change Permits Since Mar. 2015
█ Related to Agriculture
█ Not Related to Agriculture
█ Not Related to Agriculture but Exempt from tariffs

Challenges and factors
affecting land use change
• Lack of spatial planning
• Urbanization
• Conversion of villages to cities
• Expansion of village borders
• Increasing interest in the ownership of country cottages and
secondary residences outside city borders
• Value added after land use change
• The cultural viewpoint of land as commodity
• Quality agricultural lands in suburban areas are not being cultivated
and are threatened by urbanization.

Fragmentation
of agricultural lands
• The law of ‘Prevention of the fragmentation of agricultural lands and
determination of optimum technical/economical plot sizes’ was passed in 2008
• Plot sizes were determined by the government, based on land type (farms and
orchards), farm holders (single, communities, cooperatives, companies), water
resources (watered and rain-fed) and soil quality for 404 municipalities
• A variety of technical, legal and financial incentives have been devised for the
farm-holders who decide to consolidate their lands and increase plot sizes

Prevention of
Land Use Change
• ‘Preservation of the land use of farmlands and
orchards’ act was passed by the parliament in 1995
• According to the act, changing the land use of
agricultural lands outside of the borders of cities,
towns and villages has been prohibited, except when
deemed necessary.

Implemented Policies and Operations
for prevention of land use change
• Implementation of online services and supervision/scrutiny systems
• Use of GIS and RS based systems
• Detection of Land Use Change Reconnaissance Vehicles
• Land Use Change Reporting System for Civilians (Phone No. 131)
• Formation of ‘The National Workgroup of Preservation of
Agricultural Lands’

Future Prospects
• Formation of the Command Center for Preservation of
Agricultural Lands
• Satellite Based Survey of Agricultural Lands
• Cadaster for Agricultural Lands (1:2000 scale)
• Collecting data of farm holders by the means of
questionnaires and field survey

12/4/2018 143
• Preparation of soil maps at national, regional and local levels.
• Research on soil genesis and classification.
• Establishment of national soil data base.
•Application of new techniques in soil survey activities.
• Contribution to soil knowledge by publishing scientific articles.
•Technical supervision on soil survey activities performed by privet agencies.
What we do

12/4/2018 144
Area of lands covered by soil survey investigations in Iran
Map scale
Area
ha %
000100:1 0003001 6
00050:1 00080016 75
00020:1 0003003 15
Others 0000001 4
Total 00040022 100
Soil Study and Land Classification of More Than 22 Million ha of
Arable Land

12/4/2018 145
Level of Details and Land Areas Covered by Soil
Survey Investigations in Iran
Level of details
Area
ha %
Reconnaissance 00050012 56
Semi detail 0002509 41
detail 000650 3
Total 00040022 100

14612/4/2018
Ministry of agriculture Jihad
Agricultural Research Education And Extension Organization
Soil and Water Research Institute
Iran Soil GeoPortal
 The construction of soil resource databases in addition to managing and
protecting soil resources, environment and valuable soil data, provide different
user needs.

Implementation of the VGSSM in the Islamic Republic of Iran

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