A Multi-Objective Evaluation Tool (MUVT) for Optimizing Inputs in Cropping Systems: A Preliminary Test on Three Herbaceous Crops

This paper introduces the Multi-objective Evaluation Tool (MUVT), a user-friendly framework for evaluating the environmental sustainability of inputs in complex sys-tems like agriculture. MUVT enables quick analysis of how different agro-inputs (e.g., irrigation, fertilization, CO2) affect various cropping system variables (e.g., yield, in-come, water use efficiency). It integrates responses from all variables and allows users to adjust the importance of each in decision-making. The tool was tested on three crops—processing tomato, maize, and sugar beet—focusing on water-related compo-nents such as production, irrigation efficiency, and net income under various irrigation scenarios simulated with AquaCrop. For balanced productivity and environmental performance, optimal seasonal irrigation volumes were 400-500 mm for maize and tomato, and 300-400 mm for sugar beet. When prioritizing environmental sustainabil-ity, volumes decreased to 300 mm for maize, 300-400 mm for tomato, and 200 mm for sugar beet. The tool identified maize as the crop with the best overall performance, followed by tomato and sugar beet.