Given the water crisis and challenges of water resource management in agriculture, especially in rice cultivation, which requires high water requirements, designing smart water distribution systems with farmers' participation can help optimize water consumption, reduce conflicts, and increase productivity. This research seeks to investigate technological solutions to improve the water distribution system with a focus on stakeholder participation in the two northern provinces of the country. The study area examined in this research is the plain areas suitable for rice cultivation in the two northern provinces of Guilan and Mazandaran, which are considered the main rice producing areas in the country with a total of 452,960 hectares of cultivated area, and the share of water consumed in the two provinces of Guilan and Mazandaran is 47% of the country's total share. This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of method, with a combined approach (qualitative-quantitative). The target population includes rice farmers, local irrigators, and water distribution system officials in the provinces of Guilan and Mazandaran who irrigate their fields using traditional methods and local irrigation. Focusing on the smartization of agricultural water distribution and relying on the social participation of rice farmers, this article seeks to identify the challenges in the water distribution system and examine the role of smart technologies such as IoT, remote sensing, and automated water management systems. The findings show that agricultural water management in these areas is mainly based on traditional methods, and modern technologies are used only at limited levels and in research farms to monitor rice fields. The results of the study indicate that the use of smart irrigation technologies by farmers can help in optimal water management in the study area and, while preventing its waste, lead to a balanced consumption of pesticides and fertilizers in accordance with the actual needs of the farms. In addition to the productivity of rice fields, this approach plays an effective role in preserving the environment.
Water stress is a common and growing global challenge, as increasing uncertainty in weather due to climate change affects water availability in many regions and disrupts livelihoods and environmental functions, especially those related to agriculture and food security.Water resource management has always been one of the challenges that farmers have faced for centuries, and they have tried to address this challenge by forming network structures to irrigate their fields. In our country, water resource constraints have always been an issue that farmers face.). Since rice agriculture is a major consumer of water resources, it requires efficient management systems, and traditional water distribution can lead to resource waste and social conflicts among rice producers. Therefore, integrating indigenous knowledge and community participation with modern technologies (such as smart water monitoring systems) can help improve water distribution efficiency and rice cultivation sustainability. Smart irrigation based on the Internet of Things (IoT) leads to greater crop development, effective water management, and remote access compared to conventional irrigation systems. The strategy, which aims to provide remote access to the system and ensure that farmers have continuous information and control over their fields throughout the year.
Materials and methods
This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of method, conducted with a mixed (qualitative-quantitative) approach. The study population includes rice farmers, local irrigators, and water distribution system officials in the provinces of Guilan and Mazandaran who irrigate their fields using traditional methods and local irrigation. In this research, which aims to investigate the smartization of rice field irrigation methods and social participation of agricultural users, the data collection methods used are reviewing documents, articles, and reports related to smart water management and social participation, and semi-structured interviews, discussions with stakeholders (farmers, irrigation managers, technical experts) to identify challenges and solutions.
Results and discussion
In the participatory method where irrigation of farms has been based on traditional methods, artificial intelligence has come to the aid of farmers and, as an executive arm, can carry out the process of farm operations and management in a shorter time and with greater accuracy. In this way, local irrigators who have the role of distributing and managing water in farms can make real-time decisions in water management and distribution by taking advantage of artificial intelligence. Smart panels installed in rice fields can provide accurate information about the level of need of rice fields to irrigators to guide them in making appropriate decisions and take real-time, effective and appropriate actions according to the needs of each farm. However, the important point is the infrastructure part in making farms smart. With the entry of governing institutions in order to inform traditional irrigators of the role of making rice fields smart in facilitating irrigation matters and reducing waste of resources, which is in the interest of rice farmers, and also taking macro-policies in paying low-interest and long-term facilities in order to make farms smart, they can have a revolution in the field of agricultural water management.

Conclusion
The use of modern irrigation systems using smart technologies is a revolution in irrigation and rice production. The two provinces of Guilan and Mazandaran, as the two rice producing hubs of the country, are also facing limited access to water resources during the rice growing seasons, like other provinces, and traditional irrigation structures no longer meet this need to improve the production process and increase productivity. There is a need for technology as an effective and technical arm to help traditional irrigators to make optimal use of limited water resources using modern tools and techniques. In the study conducted in the two provinces under study, irrigation methods are carried out traditionally and with the social participation of the farmers themselves, and the use of artificial intelligence and modern technologies is limited to research studies that use smart devices installed in rice fields using existing sensors to assess soil moisture levels, water needs, etc., and irrigation is carried out in proportion to the information obtained from these devices. The social participation of farmers, which plays a central role in smart irrigation of rice fields, is not limited to the acceptance of technology, but also includes active cooperation, collective management, and building trust among stakeholders.