Abstract: The identification of the soil hydraulic properties is the basis of studying soil water movement. An optimization model was established for identifying the soil hydraulic properties. The optimization objective was the minimum mean square deviation of simulation between measured and observed values of soil water content, and the constraint conditions were the upper and lower limit values of empirical soil hydraulic conductivity and water diffusion coefficients. The optimal values of the soil hydraulic conductivity and water diffusion coefficients could be obtained through applying genetic algorithm and numerical simulation method of one-dimensional flow movement in unsaturated homogeneous soil. The test showed that the numerical simulation results of soil water content were well coincided with the observed values. Therefore, the method is feasible.