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Knowledge Elicitation and Modeling of Agroecological Management Strategies

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Information and Communication Technologies for Agriculture—Theme III: Decision

Part of the book series: Springer Optimization and Its Applications ((SOIA,volume 184))

Abstract

Agroecology applies ecological principles to the design and management of agricultural systems to improve environmental outcomes and livelihoods for farmers. However, little research to date has focused on cognitive tools that can facilitate the exploration, design, and increased adoption of agroecological management practices. This chapter is a preliminary attempt to develop guidelines to describe and bring to light the management behavior of farmers engaged in a participatory project of agroecological system design. Management strategies are explicitly defined using key decision-relevant concepts of activity, resource, goal, plan, and preference. These declarative structures make it possible to perform simulation-based experimentation of operational decision-making at farm scale. The modeling framework facilitates the collective development and analysis of new management strategies in the face of knowledge gaps about the likely results of these strategies (especially highly innovative ones) and uncertainties about uncontrollable factors (weather in particular). Used in participatory workshops the presented approach supports learning, sharing, and dissemination of agroecological knowledge.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INRAE, UR875 Mathématiques et Informatique Appliquées Toulouse, Castanet-Tolosan, France

    Roger Martin-Clouaire

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  1. Roger Martin-Clouaire
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Correspondence to Roger Martin-Clouaire .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Bio-Economy and Agri-Technology (iBO), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thessaloniki, Greece

    Dionysis D. Bochtis

  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Aarhus, Aarhus N, Denmark

    Claus Grøn Sørensen

  3. Department of Resources Management and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Spyros Fountas

  4. Institute for Bio-Economy and Agri-Technology (iBO), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thessaloniki, Greece

    Vasileios Moysiadis

  5. Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Panos M. Pardalos

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Martin-Clouaire, R. (2022). Knowledge Elicitation and Modeling of Agroecological Management Strategies. In: Bochtis, D.D., Sørensen, C.G., Fountas, S., Moysiadis, V., Pardalos, P.M. (eds) Information and Communication Technologies for Agriculture—Theme III: Decision. Springer Optimization and Its Applications, vol 184. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84152-2_14

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