System modelling techniques applied to agricultural planning in the cerrado region

Abstract

To be successful any planning framework for analysing investment opportunities in regions, such as the Cerrado of Brazil must emphasise sustainable development. This implies a shift from the traditional single objective of agricultural expansion to a multiple objective approach incorporating economic, social and environmental factors. This paper describes a planning method which allows ex-ante evaluation of trade-offs between economic, social and environmental factors in determining the most appropriate development options.