Optimization of Virtual Water Trade with Emphasis on Agricultural Sector Support From Two Perspectives: Maximizing Farmers' Welfare and Employment.

Abstract Water scarcity has become a global issue in agriculture. Therefore, sustainable use of water resources is essential. A concept that many planners and experts have recently emphasized in the field of water management that is the water footprint and virtual water trade. The objectives of this study are to maximize farmers' welfare, minimizing water consumption and maximizing employment in agriculture simultaneously. Multi-objective mathematical programming method was used to achieve the research objectives. The results indicated that the area of crops and fruits in Iran is reduced compared to the base year, especially in the irrigated activity, Also, saving water is about 15 billion m3 due to the change of cultivation pattern. Based on the model results, 2 billion m3 of water are imported into Iran by changes in the pattern of trade. The proposed model states water- saving 15 billion m3. The model suggests if the goal of policy -makers is to increase employment in agriculture or farmer's social welfare, it should cultivate more fruits than crops and If the goal is to protect the environment and save water, it should replace crops with fruits.