The Identification of Optimum Management Regimes for Agricultural Crop Enterprises

Abstract

This article outlines the nature of the decision making problem for an annual crop, and considers the problems of devising simulation models. Appropriate biological models are now in existence; the problem of computability is addressed briefly, and methods are described that might help to render such an optimizing program feasible. The potential usefulness of a crop management optimizing program is noted. There is no a priori theoretical reason why the same techniques cannot be applied at the farm level, aggregating different crop responses and relating management to the resource base of the individual farm.