As water scarcity has emerged as a strategic challenge in Iran’s agricultural sector, the implementation of data-driven governance can play a key role in enhancing productivity and enabling informed decision-making. This study aims to identify the gaps, challenges, and solutions for implementing data-driven governance in Iran’s agricultural water management. Using the OECD OURdata Index framework, a structured questionnaire was designed around three dimensions—access, usable data, and government support for value creation—and responses from 55 national water and agriculture experts and policymakers were collected and analyzed. The findings indicate that the current state of data governance in Iran falls short of desired standards, revealing gaps such as the absence of a clear legal framework, inter-organizational misalignment, weak integration of information systems, and limited stakeholder participation in data-related processes. In response to these challenges, a set of structural, technological, and institutional solutions was proposed, including the design of a national open data system, development of cloud-based infrastructures, formulation of transparent open data regulations, and institutionalization of a data-driven culture within executive organizations. By providing a systematic overview of existing barriers and corrective pathways, this study serves as an initial step toward developing a roadmap for data-driven governance and enhancing the resilience of Iran’s agricultural water management system.