Irrigation Systems and Land Management in Hawraman Region: A Case Study of Orchards in Nowdeshah

As a vital source of life, water has been attached a great value and always regarded as scared among peoples. It is also one of the most valuable and decisive factors in horticultural activities. The present article investigates the traditional irrigation system in the city of Nowdeshah based on the criteria and traditions observed by their ancestors. As the most common and effective system, the traditional Ajin irrigation system has a history of centuries and is still in use in its original form both across the whole Hawraman region and in Nowdeshah in particular. With subsistence fruit raising and traditional livestock breeding as their main sources of livelihood, the inhabitants in Hawraman use a regular and accurate irrigation system that has evolved through traditional rules and has its own water exploitation and allocation methods with extremely rich social aspects. In collective water exploitation in this system, water sharing groups are formed consisting of a certain number of farmers who share a specified number of irrigation hours in each water cycle. A salient feature of the system in Nowdehah is efficient irrigation during low water seasons since irrigation timing and quantity are governed by such local factors as climatic conditions, product type, growth stage, tree yield, soil properties (e.g., water holding capacity), and the extent of vertical and horizontal development of tree roots. Overall, the irrigation system in this region has its roots in the local culture, indigenous knowledge, and environmental and climate conditions.