DHIVINE_PLOS1
Many
farming-system studies have investigated the design and evaluation of
crop-management practices with respect to economic performance and
reduction in environmental impacts. In contrast, little research has
been devoted to analysing these practices in terms of matching the
recurrent context-dependent demand for resources (labour in
particular) with those available on the farm. This paper presents
Dhivine, a simulation model of operational
management of grape production at the vineyard scale. Particular
attention focuses on representing a flexible plan, which organises
activities temporally, the resources
available to the vineyard manager and the process of scheduling and
executing the activities. The model relies on a generic
production-system ontology used in several agricultural production
domains. The types of investigations that the model supports are
briefly illustrated. The enhanced realism of the
production-management situations simulated makes it possible to
examine and understand properties of resource-constrained
work-organisation strategies and possibilities for improving them.