Multiattribute Assessment of Alternative Cropping Systems

Abstract

Multiattribute rankings of seventy‐two alternative midwestern cropping systems involving corn, soybeans, and alfalfa hay are analyzed from profitability and environmental quality perspectives. Environmental consequences are simulated using EPIC and GLEAMS, and profitability is based on budget analysis. Results are analyzed using an algorithm based on multiattribute decision theory. A corn‐soybean rotation using low input levels and minimum tillage on high‐productivity soil, and continuous corn using low input levels and minimum tillage on low‐productivity soil are in the preferred set regardless of whether profits or preserving the environment is the first priority for the decision maker.

Improved Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Corn following Soybean in Irrigated Sandy Loams

“…Rotation of corn to soybean produced greater grain yield of both crops on a silty clay loam soil (Varvel, 1994;West et al, 1996), with less input costs (Foltz et al, 1995), and less N compared with CC (Varvel and Wilhelm, 2003). Corn yield was increased by 21% and soybean yield by 9% when grown in rotation compared with monoculture on a silty clay loam (Wilhelm and Wortmann, 2004).…”

Multiple attribute evaluation of landscape management

“…Additive utility implies that attributes are mutually utility independent, or equivalently, that the marginal utility of one attribute is independent of the amounts of all other attributes (@u i z di /@z dj D0 for all i6 Dj). Additive multiattribute utility functions are very common in MADM applications (Yakowitz et al, 1993;Foltz et al, 1995;Tecle et al, 1995) because of their simplicity and relevance to real world problems (Keeney and Raiffa, 1976). When the utility function is additive, Equation (4) becomes:…”

Structural adjustment and soil degradation in Tanzania A CGE model approach with endogenous soil productivity

“…The bulk of the literature on soil models has been used in a West European and North American context, like Foltz (1995) or Vickner et al (1998) who used soil models like the Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator (EPIC) developed by Williams et al (1987) to assess environmental impact in the form of nitrate leaching from the choice of the economically optimal cropping system in the Midwest of the US. The impact on society is more important in the third world.…”