Decision support systems for agricultural development

Abstract

Agricultural decision makers at all levels need an increasing amount of information to better understand the possible outcomes of their decisions and to assist them in developing plans and policies that meet their goals. An international team of scientists has recently developed a decision support system for agrotechnology transfer (DSSAT) to estimate production, resource use, and risks associated with different crop production practices. The DSSAT contains crop-soil simulation models, data bases for weather, soil, and crops, and strategy evaluation programs integrated with a user-friendly interface on microcomputers. In this paper, an overview of the DSSAT will be given, followed by example applications and a description of enhancements now being made. Concepts for using components of the DSSAT in new, broader decision support systems for assessing farm and regional outcomes of different policies and practices will be presented. These new tools will help decision makers by reducing the time and human resources required for analyzing complex alternative decisions. Jones, J.W. (1993). Decision support systems for agricultural development.