Articles
A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL CALCULATIONS FOR FRUIT CROPS
This is necessary because in 1991 the Dutch government presented a policy program that requires in 2000 44% reduction in the use of agrochemicals from the average during the period 1984–1988. Such a reduction can be achieved in many ways, resulting in the need for a DSS that enables growers to evaluate economic and ecological consequences of the various strategies that may be followed to reduce the input of chemicals.
These strategies include growing other cultivars, economizing ways of crop protection, use of tunnel sprayers, planting of windbreaks on ditch banks, etc.
The idea for this DSS originated from research.
Growers are highly interested in decisions affecting these strategies when a new planting is planned, or at times of other investment decisions.
They are well aware of their financial problems and the demands from the government.
The problem “which decisions have to be made to satisfy both ecological and economic demands” has obtained a permanent character.
Some decisions have to be made every time that a new planting is planned, or at times of investment decisions.
At that time a grower, with the help of the extension service, has to choose between numerous possibilities.
To make an informed decision the grower needs calculations about the economic and ecological consequences of all possibilities.
Manual calculations are possible but time consuming and therefore expensive.
The DSS is able to make calculations for a specific planting for one year (first part of the DSS) or for an orchard as a whole for a period up to a maximum of 15 years (second part of the DSS). The results are available within a few minutes and enable the grower to compare many different strategies to reduce the use of chemicals.
Furthermore, it is possible to choose the strategy with the greatest reduction of chemical input and smallest financial loss.