Model for decision-making in agricultural production planning

This paper explains the process followed to generate the model used as a decision support tool for agricultural production planning in the most agrarian areas in Galicia (NW Spain). The model comprises three procedures that use 44 social, environmental and economic indicators developed using both monographic information and field data. The indicators allow for the selection of the most suitable crops and land uses for each agrarian area, and allow decision makers to define key factors for performing a diagnostic analysis and proposing relevant actions regarding agricultural production planning. The potential of the tool for defining a hierarchy of potential crops and land uses according to their degree of suitability has been illustrated by applying the model to one of the 88 Ecological and Economic Units studied (EEUs). The proposed model can be a useful tool for production managers, agricultural associations, governmental agencies and even non-governmental organizations in underdeveloped countries. The most innovative aspects of the model are the feasibility of grouping indicators to perform a diagnostic analysis of different scenarios, and that it can be adapted to any other region in the world, by adjusting the objectives of agricultural production planning and the corresponding indicators. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.