One of the key components of economic and social sustainability linked to water security is food security. Iran’s arid and semi-arid climate, along with a significant reduction in the country’s renewable water resources, has created challenges in the sustainable supply of food. Under such conditions, enhancing agricultural water productivity is an inevitable necessity, serving as a guarantee for the adequate and sustainable production of agricultural goods. This study analyzes the “National Spatial Planning Document,” the “Agricultural Productivity Enhancement Document,” the “Knowledge-Based National Food Security Document,” the “National Water Roadmap,” and the “Seventh Five-Year Development Plan,” compares them with relevant policy documents from other countries, and investigates the reasons behind the inefficacy of these policies. Qualitative analysis results indicate that the category of “weak governance and lack of institutional coordination,” cited in all reviewed documents, represents the most significant challenge, accounting for 32.02%. This is followed by “short-sighted policy approaches” (15.81%), “ineffective economic instruments” (15.61%), and “inadequate technical and informational infrastructure” (15.22%) all of which reflect structural and managerial barriers within the policymaking system. In contrast, categories such as “lack of financial resources,” observed in only four documents (1.19%), are relatively less critical. The findings highlight “weak governance and lack of institutional coordination” as the core factor underlying policy inefficiency, Indicating that any proposed solutions should prioritize targeted reforms of institutional frameworks and the enhancement of coordination among organizations.