Abstract
The aim of this paper is to solve an agricultural technology packages selection problem by considering multiple dimensions which influence a maize producer’s preferences. The decision-making process is aided by a new multicriteria method for eliciting scale constants in additive models: flexible and interactive tradeoff (FITradeoff). This method works with partial information, obtained from the decision maker (DM), and thus reduces the time that the DM has to spend on the process for eliciting his/her preferences as he/she may avoid answering difficult questions. The decision-making process makes use of a decision support system (DSS), in which the DM interactively gives preference statements in a structured manner. The DSS gives flexibility to the DM, in such way that he/she gives as much information as he/she is willing to. Graphical visualization is provided at each step in order to help the DM’s analyses. Throughout the description of an application, some insights are provided including a discussion of the advantages and features of the FITradeoff method.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ahumada, O., & Villalobos, J. R. (2009). Application of planning models in the agri-food supply chain: A review. European Journal of Operational Research, 196(1), 1–20.
Álvarez Carrillo, P. A., Leyva López, J. C., & Ahumada Valenzuela, O. (2017). A group decision outranking approach for the agricultural technology packages selection problem. In M. Schoop & D. Marc Kilgour (Eds.), International conference on group decision and negotiation (Vol. 293, pp. 187–201). Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63546-0_14.
Amor, S. B., Zaras, K., & Aguayo, E. A. (2016). The value of additional information in multicriteria decision making choice problems with information imperfections. Annals of Operations Research, 253, 61–76.
Belton, V., & Stewart, T. J. (2002). Multiple criteria decision analysis. Boston: Kluwer.
Byerlee, D., & De Polanco, E. H. (1986). Farmers’ stepwise adoption of technological packages: Evidence from the Mexican Altiplano. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 68(3), 519–527.
Carpani, M., Bergez, J.-E., & Monod, H. (2012). Sensitivity analysis of a hierarchical qualitative model for sustainability assessment of cropping systems. Environmental Modelling and Software, 27–28, 15–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2011.10.002.
Craheix, D., Angevin, F., Doré, T., & De Tourdonnet, S. (2016). Using a multicriteria assessment model to evaluate the sustainability of conservation agriculture at the cropping system level in France. European Journal of Agronomy, 76, 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2016.02.002.
de Almeida, A. T., Cavalcante, C. A. V., Alencar, M. H., Ferreira, R. J. P., Al-meida-Filho, A. T., & Garcez, T. V. (2015). Multicriteria and multiobjective models for risk, reliability and maintenance decision analysis. International series in operations research & management science (Vol. 231). New York: Springer.
de Almeida, A. T., de Almeida, J. A., Costa, A. P. C. S., & de Almeida-Filho, A. T. (2016). A new method for elicitation of criteria weights in additive models: Flexible and interactive Tradeoff. European Journal of Operational Research, 250, 179–191.
de Almeida-Filho, A. T., de Almeida, A. T., & Costa, A. P. C. S. (2017). A flexible elicitation procedure for additive model scale constants. Annals of Operations Research, 259, 1–19.
Deytieux, V., Munier-Jolain, N., & Caneill, J. (2016). Assessing the sustainability of cropping systems in single- and multi-site studies. A review of methods. European Journal of Agronomy, 72, 107–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2015.10.005.
Edwards, W., Miles, R. F., & von Winterfeldt, D. (2007). Advances in decision analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Figueira, J., Greco, S., & Ehrgott, M. (2005). Multiple criteria decision analysis: State of the art surveys. Berlin: Springer.
FIRA. (2017a). Costos de cultivo de maize en temporada otoño-invierno 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.fira.gob.mx/InfEspDtoXML/abrirArchivo.jsp?abreArc=66317. Accessed 6 July 2017.
FIRA. (2017b). Condiciones de operación del servicio de fondeo entre FIRA y los intermediarios financieros, MN-ACR-SCR-001. Retrieved from: https://www.fira.gob.mx/Nd/Lineamientos_FONAGUA.pdf. Accessed 9 July 2017.
FIRA Agrocostos. (2017). Costos de producción agrícola. Retrieved from: https://www.fira.gob.mx/Nd/Agrocostos.jsp. Accessed 20 June 2017.
Keeney, R. L. (1992). Value focused thinking. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Keeney, R. L., & Raiffa, H. (1976). Decision making with multiple objectives, preferences, and value tradeoffs. New York: Wiley.
Kirkwood, C. W., & Sarin, R. K. (1985). Ranking with partial information: A method and an application. Operations Research, 33, 38–48.
Leyva, J. C., Álvarez, P. A., & Ahumada, O. (2017). A multicriteria group decision model for ranking technology packages in agriculture. In E. Cruz Corona (Ed.), Soft computing for sustainability science. Berlin: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62359-7_7.
Mármol, A. M., Puerto, J., & Fernández, F. R. (2002). Sequential incorporation of imprecise information of multiple criteria decision processes. European Journal of Operational Research, 137, 123–133.
Montiel, L. V., & Bickel, J. E. (2014). A generalized sampling approach for multilinear utility functions given partial preference information. Decision Analysis, 11(3), 147–170.
Mustajóki, J., Hämäläinen, R. P., & Salo, A. (2005). Decision support by interval SMART/SWING—Incorporating imprecision in the SMART and SWING methods. Decision Sciences, 36(2), 317–339.
Pelzer, E., Fortino, G., Bockstaller, C., Angevin, F., Lamine, C., Moonen, C., et al. (2012). Assessing innovative cropping systems with DEXiPM, a qualitative multi-criteria assessment tool derived from DEXi. Ecological Indicators, 18, 171–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.11.019.
Salo, A., & Hämäläinen, R. P. (1992). Preference assessment by imprecise ratio statements. Operations Research, 40, 1053–1061.
Salo, A., & Hämäläinen, R. P. (2001). Preference ratios in multiattribute evaluation (PRIME)—Elicitation and decision procedures under incomplete information. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics—Part A: Systems and Humans, 31, 533–545.
Salo, A., & Punkka, A. (2005). Rank inclusion in criteria hierarchies. European Journal of Operational Research, 163, 338–356.
Weber, M. (1987). Decision making with incomplete information. European Journal of Operational Research, 28(1), 44–57.
Weber, M., & Borcherding, K. (1993). Behavioral influences on weight judgments in multi-attribute decision making. European Journal of Operational Research, 67, 1–12.
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the partial financial support for this research from CNPq (Brazilian research council).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Alvarez Carrillo, P.A., Roselli, L.R.P., Frej, E.A. et al. Selecting an agricultural technology package based on the flexible and interactive tradeoff method. Ann Oper Res 314, 377–392 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-018-3020-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-018-3020-y