Sustainable development requires modifying the current consumption pattern of natural resources. This study investigates efficient tactics for reducing the unsustainability and inefficiency of human’s food-related blue water consumption alongside improving national environmental and socioeconomic status. As a case study for Iran, 15 alternative management scenarios (AMS) were defined compared to the current on-farm management, and their effects were assessed on a monthly scale. Based on the results, 45.5 billion m³ y⁻¹ (BCM) blue water is consumed within the croplands, 78% and 34% of which are unsustainable and inefficient, respectively. AMCs reduces the unsustainable and inefficient blue water consumption by 2–17 BCM and 2–13 BCM, respectively. The combination of yield gap closure, drip irrigation, soil mulching, and deficit irrigation has the largest effect on blue water saving; it releases or changes the status of monthly blue water scarcity in 11 provinces; increases field-employees by 132%, food security by 9%, international food-export by 87%, and gross domestic production by 54%. However, it doesn’t fully address blue water overconsumption in the summer period; hence, further measures are needed to reduce blue water scarcity to the sustainable level in these environmental hotspots.

可持续发展需要改变当前自然资源的消费模式。本研究调查了在改善国家环境和社会经济状况的同时，减少人类与食物相关的蓝水消耗的不可持续性和低效率的有效策略。作为伊朗的案例研究，与当前的农场管理相比，定义了 15 种替代管理方案 (AMS)，并按月评估了它们的影响。根据结果​​，455 亿 m ³ y ^-1(BCM) 蓝水在农田内消耗，其中 78% 和 34% 分别是不可持续和低效的。AMCs 分别将不可持续和低效的蓝水消耗减少了 2-17 BCM 和 2-13 BCM。产量差距缩小、滴灌、覆土、亏缺灌溉的组合对蓝水节水效果最大；释放或改变11个省月度水资源短缺状况；现场员工增加 132%，粮食安全增加 9%，国际粮食出口增加 87%，国内生产总值增加 54%。然而，它并没有完全解决夏季过度消耗蓝水的问题；因此，需要采取进一步措施，将这些环境热点地区的蓝水稀缺程度降低到可持续水平。