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Nature-Based Soil and Water Conservation for Climate-Resilient Agriculture
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Nature-Based Soil and Water Conservation for Climate-Resilient Agriculture

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water, Agriculture and Aquaculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 1395

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Michel Riksen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Soil Physics and Land Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Interests: rain water harvesting; soil and water conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Coen J. Ritsema

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Soil Physics and Land Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Interests: soil physics; soil water dynamics; soil and water conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Karrar Mahdi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Soil Physics and Land Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Interests: soil and water hydrology; salinity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The latest IPCC report outlines a very clear message: the increase in the Earth's temperature has resulted in significant changes in local weather conditions. These changes in rainfall and temperature patterns threaten agricultural production and increase the vulnerability of individuals who are dependent on agriculture, therefore affecting their livelihoods. In arid and semi-arid regions, water shortages will become more prominent due to irregularly distributed rainfall, resulting in increased droughts as well as extreme rainfall events. Nature-Based Soil and Water Conservation (NB-SWC) measures in combination with Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is an approach that aims to transform and reorient agricultural systems to adapt to the effects of climate change. The aim of this Special Issue is to collate the latest knowledge on NB-SWC practices to support CSA in arid and semi-arid regions. We welcome research papers on topics such as NBS in soil and water conservation, their design, suitability and planning, performance, and adoption by farmers. We also encourage an emphasis on socio-economical, policy, and gender-related aspects.

Dr. Michel Riksen
Prof. Dr. Coen J. Ritsema
Dr. Karrar Mahdi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nature-based soil and water conservation (NB-SWC)
  • climate-smart agriculture (CSA)
  • arid and semi-arid regions
  • planning and design of NB-SWC
  • NB-SWC suitability
  • water scarcity
  • water conservation
  • water economics
  • adoption of NB-SWC

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 1674 KB  
Article
Evaluating the Performance of Infiltration Models Under Semi-Arid Conditions: A Case Study from the Oum Zessar Watershed, Tunisia
by Rasha Abed, Ammar Adham, Mohammad Esam Shareef and Michel Riksen
Water 2026, 18(1), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18010055 - 24 Dec 2025
Viewed by 890
Abstract
The infiltration process is an essential element of the hydrological cycle and water management. To provide a consideration for selecting an infiltration model and setting parameter values in the Oum Zessar watershed, the effectiveness of four infiltration models—Horton, Philip, Kostiakov, and Green–Ampt—is systematically [...] Read more.
The infiltration process is an essential element of the hydrological cycle and water management. To provide a consideration for selecting an infiltration model and setting parameter values in the Oum Zessar watershed, the effectiveness of four infiltration models—Horton, Philip, Kostiakov, and Green–Ampt—is systematically evaluated using infiltration rate data measured in several field locations. The constant infiltration rate (CIR) of several locations was assessed using the double-ring infiltrometer technique and juxtaposed with values derived from the models. The parametric equations of each model were calibrated using time-series infiltration data obtained from the experimental observations. Excel functions were used to simplify the intricate mathematical calculations of the parameters. The model’s accuracy was assessed using six statistical metrics: Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Sum of Squared Errors (SSE), Standard Error (STD ERR), and bias, along with the highest values of Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) and correlation (CORR). The greatest values of NSE and CORR, along with the lowest values of RMSE, SSE, STD ERR, and bias, indicate the optimal model. Moreover, the Model Performance Index (MPI) was implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of the modules by providing a clear scoring system for the models. The obtained results indicated that Kostiakov model displays the optimal fitting values on all indicators and locations, and the Horton model showed the second-best fitting values in most of the indicators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Soil and Water Conservation for Climate-Resilient Agriculture)
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