A computerised decision making aid for environmental management in arable farming.

In the past the environmental consequences of arable agriculture were often accepted without question. However, there is now increasing debate and public concern regarding the short and long term environmental impacts that might occur as a result of farming practices. The University of Hertfordshire, in collaboration with ADAS and IACR-Rothamsted, is currently developing a computer-based system to support environmental management in agriculture and to assist in overcoming some of the problems highlighted here. The project is funded by the UK’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Other advantages offered by the computerised system include a fully integrated contextual information and advisory system to support the decision making process plus a technical system for exploring ‘what-if’ scenarios and identifying ways of minimising environmental impact in a no-risk situation. Figure 1 below shows a schematic of the computerised system.