TOOLKIT

1
International Consortium for Agricultural Systems
Applications http//www.ICASAnet.org

• WHAT IS ICASA ?
• A Global Network of participating scientists and
  institutions.
• Cooperation of scientists to facilitate the
  development of systems approaches and tools.
• Application of computer and system tools for
  decision making and policy development related to
  agricultural production systems, resource
  management, food security, and sustainable
  development.

• TOOLKIT
• One of the main activities of ICASA is to develop
  computer models and decision support systems for
  agricultural and environmental applications. The
  main component of the current toolkit is the
  Decision Support System for Agrotechnology
  Transfer (DSSAT).
• DSSAT has been adopted by more than
• 1200 scientists in more than 90 countries.
• DSSAT includes
• Biophysical models, including CERES, CROPGRO,
  SUBSTOR, CROPSIM, that simulate growth and
  development and predict yield for more than 17
  crops. The main crops include wheat, maize,
  rice, sorghum, millet, soybean, drybean, peanut,
  chickpea,cowpea, potato, cassava, tomato,
  sugarcane, and sunflower
• Utilities for handling of weather, soil,
  experimental and genotype data
• Application programs to conduct risk analysis of
  biophysical, environmental and economic variables
• Crop rotation analyzer
• Precision agriculture analyzer
• Regional impact assessment tool linking GIS and
  models
• Other toolkit components include
• Farm System Simulator
• Yield Forecast Tools
• Famine Early Warning System
• El Niño Climate Prediction
• PCYield
• Regional Planning
• Model Development and Training Tools

• BACKGROUND
• ICASA combines the former International Benchmark
  Sites Network for Agrotechnology Transfer
  (IBSNAT) project with the Wageningen Agricultural
  University (WAU) and the Center for
  Agrobiological Research (CABO).
• ICASA was initiated in 1991 during the first
  Symposium on Systems Approaches for Agricultural
  Development (SAAD), held in Bangkok, Thailand.
• In 1998 the Agricultural Production Systems
  Research Unit (APSRU), Australia was invited to
  join ICASA.
• ICASA is governed by a Board of Directors. The
  current co-Chairs are Jim Jones, University of
  Florida and Johan Bouma, Wageningen University.

• MEMBERS
• Participating Centers from the Consultative Group
  on International Agricultural Researchinclude
  IFDC, Alabama, USA ILRI,Kenya CIMMYTMexico
  IRRI,PhilippinesCIP, PeruICRISAT,
  IndiaCIAT, Colombiaand IBSRAM, Thailand.
• Participating NationalAgricultural
  ResearchCenters includeEMPRABA,
  BrazilAgricultural Research Council, South
  Africa INTA, Argentina KARI, Kenya and several
  others.
• Participating International Universities include
  Chiang Mai University, Thailand, Wageningen
  University, University of Guelph, University of
  Buenos Aires and the Australian National
  University.
• Participating USUniversities include
  theUniversity of Hawaii,University of Florida,
  the

• CONFERENCES, SYMPOSIA and WORKSHOPS
• ICASA organizes and cosponsors conferences,
  symposia and workshops to improve the
  dissemination of systems science and
  applications, to share decision support tools and
  computer models, and to exchange ideas on the
  advancement of systems analysis.
• Recent and future activities
• November 5 - 9, 2000. Crop models in research and
  practice a symposium honoring Professor J.T.
  Ritchie.
• August 4 - 7, 2000. International Workshop on the
  CANEGRO simulation model.
• November 8 - 10, 1999. CIP, Peru. Third
  Symposium on System Approaches

• TRAINING
• A major activity includes training of scientists
  and others on the use and application of computer
  simulation models and decision support systems.
• Recent workshops
• February 21 - March 3, 2000. Tamil Nadu
  Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India.
  Computer simulation for crop growth and resource
  management.
• May 17 - 29, 1999. International Fertilizer
  Development Center. Computer simulation of crop
  growth and management responses.
• March 9 - 14, 1998. University of Florida.
  Optimizing management for precision farming a
  systems approach.

Variation in Location of Streams Over Time
Yield Forecast For Dori, Burkina Faso
140
120
MEANS
1990 YIELD
University of Georgia, Michigan State University,
Columbia University, Iowa State University,
University of Nebraska, North Carolina State
University and the University of Puerto Rico.
1986
100
1990
RELATIVE YIELD
80
STANDARD DEVIATION
60
60
1986 YIELD
40
40
20
20
STD DEVS

• for Agricultural Development (SAAD-3).
• 1997, 1998, and 1999. Open Forum at the ASA
  Annual Meetings to exchange ideas related to
  ICASA activities.

0
0
160
180
200
220
240
260
DAY OF YEAR OF FORECAST

• PROJECT EXAMPLES
• A famine early warning system for millet
  production in Burkina Faso.
• Emergency fertilizer aid to Albania to improve
  winter wheat production.
• Impact of climate change on agricultural
  production and food security for many countries.
• National assessment of the potential consequences
  of climate variability and change for the United
  States.
• Watershed management in Honduras and Colombia to
  reduce environmental risks and conflicts over
  water use.
• Yield gap analysis of peanut production systems
  in Benin and Ghana.
• Managing nitrogenfertilizer applicationson
  maize in Malawias a function of climate

• MODE OF OPERATION
• ICASA is a participatory network. It encourages
  scientists to take part in the design,
  development, testing and application of crop
  models and decision support tools.
• ICASA encourages the sharing of models and
  computer tools.
• ICASA encourages the exchange of source code and
  promotes an open architecture.
• ICASA encourages the sharing of experimental data
  for applications and model improvement.
• ICASA encourages dissemination of systems science
  via training programs, workshops, symposia, model
  documentation, scientific

• DATA STANDARDS
• The IBSNAT project developed data file structures
  and standards to be used for both experimental
  documentation and model input.
• These files have been used by experimenters and
  modelers as part of the DSSAT system.
• The standards were also adopted by the Global
  Change and Terrestrial Ecosystem (GCTE) project
  for documenting experiments and model
  comparisons.
• ICASA has revised and improved the existing DSSAT
  standards for a wider range of applications.
• Tools are currently being developed to convert
  the existing data files as

Genetics
Weather

• MODULAR MODEL DEVELOPMENT
• One of ICASAs goals is to promote effective
  model development and documentation. This has
  resulted in the design of modules.
• Each module should handle all data input,
  initialization of variables, rate calculations,
  integration calculations and output of data
  related to a specific function.
• This modular approach

• Yield
• Soil type
• Images
• Pests
• Elevation
• Drainage
• Fertility

• variability.
• On-farm application of models for precision
  farming aids.
• The impact of cover crops on the

• articles and other media, including the Internet.
• ICASA is planning to centralize the distribution
  of Tools, Modules and Experimental Data via the
  web at http//ICASAnet.org

Aggregated DSSAT Crop Model Yield Changes for 2
oC and 4 oC Temperature Increase

• Causes of Yield
• Variability
• Develop Prescriptions
• Risk Assessment
• Economics

• well as to enter new experimental data into the
  ICASA file format.
• The ICASA data standards will be implemented in
  future components of the ICASA Toolkit.

Soybean
Maize
16

• has been used extensively in the development of
  the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator
  (APSIM) of the APSRU group.
• Currently, the model CROPGRO is being converted
  to a modular structure. CROPGRO will be used as
  a template for the other DSSAT crop models.

Wheat
Rice
12
Crop Models and Precision Farming
8

• sustainability of maize-based farming systems in
  Central America.
• Evaluation of the economic and environmental
  impact of land use changes in Puerto Rico.
• Water use by agriculture in the state of Georgia
  to help resolve a tri-state water conflict.
• Management tools and decision support aids for
  farmers in the state of Florida to cope with
  long-term climate variability.

Yield Change,
4
0
-4
-8
T2
T4
Modular Model