Applying hydrological concepts, such as water footprint, economical water footprint, and virtual water trade is necassary to improve water resource management. This study considers the concepts of water footprint and economical water footprint to prioritize the cultivation of rain-fed and irrigated almonds in Iran during 2006–2016. The study results shows that the rain-fed average water footprint and economical water footprint are 9.2 m³kg⁻¹ and 2.88 m³ per $, respectively, with 72% of the share being green water footprint, and 28% being grey. Irrigated almonds' water footprint and economical water footprint are 11.4 m³kg⁻¹ and 5.16 m³ per $, with the share of green, blue, and grey water footprints being 19%, 71%, and 10%, respectively. The total Average water footprint (AWF) of almond production is 10167.3 MCM year⁻¹, 80% being irrigated and 20% being rain-fed. About 9343 MCM year⁻¹ of this amount is exported overseas as the virtual water trade. Increasing the yield of almonds in rainfed orchards improves the productivity of green water, and as a result, irrigated orchards will be reduced; therefore, the pressure on water resources will be reduced based on WF criteria. The results of this study demonstrate that due to water and soil limitations in Iran, the concepts of water footprint and economical water footprint provide useful information for the conservation and management of water resources in agriculture by combining local and regional data on water availability and scarcity.

水足迹、经济水足迹和虚拟水贸易等水文概念的应用是改善水资源管理的必要条件。本研究考虑了水足迹和经济水足迹的概念，以优先考虑 2006-2016 年在伊朗种植雨养和灌溉杏仁。研究结果表明，雨养平均水足迹和经济水足迹分别为每美元9.2 m ³ kg ⁻¹和 2.88 m ^{3 ，其中绿色水足迹占 72%，灰色水足迹占 28%。}灌溉杏仁的水足迹和经济水足迹分别为 11.4 m ³ kg ⁻¹和 5.16 m ³每美元，绿色、蓝色和灰色水足迹的份额分别为 19%、71% 和 10%。杏仁生产的总平均水足迹 (AWF) 为 10167.3 MCM 年^-1，80% 用于灌溉，20% 用于雨养。约 9343 MCM 年^-1其中的一部分作为虚拟水贸易出口到海外。增加雨养果园的杏仁产量会提高绿水的生产力，结果会减少灌溉果园；因此，基于 WF 标准，水资源压力将减少。这项研究的结果表明，由于伊朗水和土壤的局限性，水足迹和经济水足迹的概念通过结合地方和区域的水可用性和稀缺数据，为农业水资源的保护和管理提供了有用的信息。