Information Systems and Management for Future Farming

Abstract

Agriculture and farmers faces a great challenge in effectively manage information both internally and externally in order to improve the economic and operational efficiency of operations, reduce environmental impact and comply with various documentation requirements. In order to meet this challenge, the flow of information between decision processes must be analysed and modelled as a prerequisite for the subsequent design, construction and implementation of situated information systems and decision support systems. The results from the study have included the derivation of a baseline farm management information system (FMIS) supporting operations management and the use of farm management standards for production as well as monitoring and compliance. An analysis of the farm manager has identified the internal as well as external conflicts and problems that the farm manager currently faces. Based on this analysis, the boundaries of the FMIS were defined and within the context of these boundaries, a description of the proposed system was derived and a conceptual model was set up. Specifically, it is shown how an operational management tool like fleet management can be integrated with the overall FMIS, supporting both off-line and on-line planning and scheduling.