Abstract
Assessing land suitability for irrigation is crucial in boosting agricultural production, particularly in arid regions like Al Teeb, Iraq, where water scarcity poses significant challenges. This study evaluates the irrigation potential of the Al Teeb area by integrating GIS with a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach. The research aims to estimate and classify land based on physical and environmental factors, including soil texture, salinity, organic carbon content, available water capacity (AWC), slope, land use/land cover (LULC), proximity to rivers, and road accessibility. These criteria were prioritized using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), with higher weights assigned to soil texture and slope due to their influence on water retention and erosion risk. Data for the analysis were collected from field soil sampling, satellite imagery, SRTM elevation data, and thematic maps. Laboratory results and FAO guidelines were applied to assess soil characteristics, while slope and other spatial data were processed in ArcGIS. The integration of these factors through weighted overlay analysis produced an irrigation suitability map, categorizing the land as highly suitable, moderately suitable, marginally suitable, or unsuitable. The results of the irrigation suitability map shows that 2.05% (36.75 km²) of the study area is permanently unsuitable (N) for agricultural production, while 32.66% (584.94 km²) is marginally suitable (S3), 44.82% (802.71 km²) is moderately suitable, and 20.47% (366.62 km²) is highly suitable. Consequently, about 65% of the area is classified as moderately to highly suitable for irrigation.