Wither agricultural DSS?

Computer-based agricultural decision support systems (aDSS) may be argued to have passed sequentially through phases of unbelief, euphoria and disappointment, and to be currently passing into either a phase of maturity with realistic expectations of the technology, or to abandonment. This paper appraises, in the context of the DSS development literature, our past and current efforts in decision support using simulation-models and farm-scale case-studies. The paper first reviews some of the explanations for the lack of success for aDSS including the identification of suitable roles and how best the tools may be deployed. The paper then outlines the authors’ experiences during the euphoric period of aDSS development including the undertaking of market research on the nature of the aDSS desired and their potential for commercialisation. The positive outcome of the market research was that potential end-users recognised the range of functionality that an aDSS could offer. There was, however, significant scepticism on the balance of costs and benefits. The end-user preference for aDSS delivered as software products for use in-house, when combined with the limits on the price-per-unit that the market would bear, meant that there was little commercial potential. In the light of these findings the team re-evaluated the role and development strategy for their aDSS. The paper outlines this strategy in terms of both the technical developments of the aDSS and the approach to its use with stakeholders. The paper then discusses the legacy from the euphoric period highlighting a number of socio-political and institutional barriers to the use of aDSS which remain to be overcome. The paper concludes by arguing that there is a need to think beyond technocentric solutions to overcome the barriers to wider aDSS use and that there are a number of models of best-practice for aDSS development that can ensure their relevance.