Detection and monitoring of temporal changes and distribution of cultivable lands in Shahr-e-Kord Plain; using Landsat and Sentinel-2 Data

The use of accurate and up-to-date information is crucial for sustainable resource management in agriculture. Satellite imagery provides the opportunity for the comprehensive monitoring of resources, and enables precise planning not only for rural development and agricultural sectors but also for national development programs and the implementation of food and water security policies in the country. It also helps prevent land use changes and their degradation. In this research, an attempt has been made to calculate the cultivable land area in Shahr-e-Kord Plain located in Chaharmahal-va-Bakhtiari Province. The imagery data of Landsats 7-8 and Sentinel-2 satellites were obtained in the form of NDVI index during the period from 2013 to 2022, which processed and validly classified using unsupervised algorithms in GIS environment. All existing features was differentiated based on digital number values and green area surfaces identified for different time periods. The sound and secure areas of cultivation were considered based on the frequencies of plantation during the 2013-2022. Average of the agricultural lands approximated 9,392 ha. Due to recurrent water shortages in recent years, only about 2,603 ha of agricultural lands in the study region have been under permanent cultivation over the 8-year study period and the rest have been abandoned over time or left for fallow and livestock grazing. Accordingly, as a basis for the integrated land-water-crop system planning and recommending policy for conservation of permanently cultivable land resources in the agricultural system of the region, the map of their spatiotemporal distribution was prepared and presented with a pixel specific precision, by different years of cultivation.