What is LADSS?

LADSS is the collective term for a farm-scale integrated modelling framework (IMF) that is being developed at The Macaulay Institute in order to simulate whole-farm systems. The acronym stands for Land Allocation Decision Support System which best describes the projects original purpose as a land use planning tool back in the early 1990s. More recently the project has expanded beyond its original remit to focus much more on deliberative processes involving decision makers and other stakeholders.

The LADSS framework is structured with a core of biophysical simulation models overlaid by financial, social and environmental accounting modules. This framework provides a basis for the case-study assessment of how changes to policy and the environment can impact upon land-use systems. Recently, these studies have centred around three themes: Climate Change, CAP Reform and Agricultural Sustainability.