SYSTEM MODELING TECHNIQUES APPLIED TO AGR ICULTURAL PLANNING IN THE CERRADO REGION

To be successful any planning framework for analysing investment oppor tunities in regions, such as the ''Cerrado'' of Brazil must emphasise sustainable development. This implies a shift from the traditional sin gle objective of agricultural expansion to a multiple objective approa ch incorporating economic, social and environmental factors. This pape r describes a planning method which allows ex-ante evaluation of trade -offs between economic, social and environmental factors in determinin g the most appropriate development options.