SOME ISSUES IN THE DESIGN OF AGRICULTURAL DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEMS

The development of crop and soil process models, and their incorporati on into decision support systems (DSSs) for the practical management o f agricultural production, have made a significant contribution to the focus and integration of research by agricultural scientists. However , such DSSs should not necessarily be used as vehicles for communicati ng with other groups, such as farmers, with a view to effecting direct ed change in their behaviour. Other, sometimes more effective and effi cient (and often more enjoyable and elegant) models are available. The historical, and seemingly unwarranted, escalation of organisational c ommitment to the provision of agricultural DSSs appears to have been b ased on a fundamental category mistake of confusing process models (fo r professional research) with model-based DSSs (intended as a guide to practical action). This escalation of commitment has had substantial implications for the design and implementation of both modelling and D SS projects, and has precluded the development of distinctive criteria for evaluating DSS success. Design issues for DSSs include: the need for an analytical phase in DSS development to deconstruct professional models, resolution, validation and appropriateness in relation to int ended purpose, in order to avoid over-engineered solutions; its contri bution to communication practice; and the role of professional respons ibility. The SIRATAC cotton pest management system, used in Australia between 1980 and 1993, is presented as a case study. Copyright (C) 199 6 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd