Integrating Sensors and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) in Precision Agriculture: A Mini Review

As an emerging technology, smart agriculture is drawing increased attention to sensor technology and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) models. MCDM-based techniques have been employed in various studies to support decision-making under sensor-rich conditions, such as crop selection, irrigation, yield prediction, and animal facility management. In this brief review, significant studies involving sensor-based agriculture using MCDM models are discussed. This paper also summarises and identifies the theoretical background of MCDM methods applied in agriculture, as well as common problems in agricultural decision-making. It identifies the criteria regularly used in decision-making, such as technical efficiency, environmental sustainability, and economic efficiency, based on these works and other relevant literature. This result suggests that MCDM facilitates stakeholders in managing trade-offs more effectively in uncertain environments and improves decision quality in the precision agriculture field. Recommendations for enhanced real-time integration, a hybrid approach, and consideration of the farmer in the design of decision support systems are also presented in the discussion.