Toward a simulation modeling platform for studying cropping systems management: the Record project

The pressing need in adapting and improving farming practices has motivated research efforts to extend the classical analysis of plants and crops to consideration of more complex cropping systems up to farming systems and small regional agroecosystems. Sustainability concerns raise production management issues that are gaining increasing attention in research. This shift of scientific interest induces new demands of modeling and simulation capabilities. For instance, features concerning biophysical aspects (processes at different spatial and temporal scales) and production system dimensions (structures, resources, activities organization, constraints, individual preferences and goals ...) must be integrated.