Optimizing Rainfed Cropping Patterns for Economic and Environmental Sustainability in East Lorestan Iran Using GIS and LCA

Optimizing Rainfed Cropping Patterns for Economic and Environmental Sustainability in East Lorestan Iran Using GIS and LCA | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Optimizing Rainfed Cropping Patterns for Economic and Environmental Sustainability in East Lorestan Iran Using GIS and LCA Zahra Marzban, Mohamamd Reza Asgharipour This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5670373/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 01 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 6 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Under the dual objectives of economic viability and environmental sustainability, sustainable agriculture requires allocating production factors to diverse agricultural activities. The already precarious and unstable position of Iranian agriculture has been exacerbated by excessive reliance on nonrenewable energy and pollution. This study addresses the challenge of unsustainable practices in Iranian rainfed agriculture by recommending a suitable cropping pattern for East Lorestan Province. We integrate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Multi-Objective Programming (MOP), and Geographic Information System (GIS) with spatial design to maximize net profit while minimizing environmental impact. The results indicate that the MOP cultivation pattern reduces the global warming potential of the region's rainfed farmlands by 5,980 kg of CO 2 . Additionally, it increases the net profit by $ 203,000 while decreasing environmental impacts on human health and ecosystem quality by 9% and 11%, respectively, compared to the current scenario. Land suitability assessment revealed that Doroud has farmlands ecologically suited for diverse crops, while Aligudarz is moderately suitable for most crops. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating environmental considerations into agricultural practices for sustainable regional development. Policymakers can use these results to develop policies that promote sustainable agricultural practices while practitioners can adopt these methods to optimize their cultivation patterns and reduce their environmental impact. Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences/Environmental impact Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Ecological modelling Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Ecosystem ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Environmental economics Cultivation Pattern Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Multi-Objective Programming (MOP) Agro-ecological Zoning Geographic Information System (GIS) Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Appendix.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 01 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Accepted 12 May, 2025 Reviews received at journal 28 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Apr, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 23 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 16 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 09 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5670373","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":446831542,"identity":"76612f4d-3888-498e-b34c-5761c1e769fb","order_by":0,"name":"Zahra Marzban","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Zabol","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zahra","middleName":"","lastName":"Marzban","suffix":""},{"id":446831543,"identity":"8110de3c-5e02-419c-9548-941385a5a049","order_by":1,"name":"Mohamamd Reza Asgharipour","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA7ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLACxgYGBjYwqwImZEC0ljOkaIEw2ohwk24D8+OPX3fY5fNJNx+Trpx3WE6+gfnhB4aCezi1mB1gM5OWPZNs2SZzLE3y7LbDxowNbMYSDAbFeLQwmDFLtjEbsEnkmEk2bjuc2AwUBPolAY8W9s+fJdvqoVrmHE5sY2D/RkALj4Hkx7bDUC0NhxN7GHgI2cJTJs3YdtyATeZYsmXDsXRjCWaeYokE/A7b/PFnW7WB/Ozmgzcbaqzl5NvbN3748Ae3Fgb5BwzMPCCGBEyEGYjxaAADxh8oWkbBKBgFo2AUoAEAeWFJNVb6Pm0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"University of Zabol","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohamamd","middleName":"Reza","lastName":"Asgharipour","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-12-18 14:38:15","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5670373/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5670373/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02116-6","type":"published","date":"2025-07-01T15:57:02+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":86178898,"identity":"a6a57de6-c2ee-45d5-99ab-976d15d4928d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-07 16:10:08","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1117225,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5670373/v1_covered_4a90a26a-0802-45bc-8a07-3ae0f2af32ad.pdf"},{"id":81324591,"identity":"aa7ef2c4-5013-4da9-97aa-e7356e427b82","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-24 18:46:56","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":23035,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Appendix.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5670373/v1/31a039cf3506a2a0736c2fe4.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Optimizing Rainfed Cropping Patterns for Economic and Environmental Sustainability in East Lorestan Iran Using GIS and LCA","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Cultivation Pattern, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Multi-Objective Programming (MOP), Agro-ecological Zoning, Geographic Information System (GIS)","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5670373/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5670373/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eUnder the dual objectives of economic viability and environmental sustainability, sustainable agriculture requires allocating production factors to diverse agricultural activities. 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