Emprego de modelos matemáticos para pesquisa e gerenciamento de sistemas integrados de lavoura e pecuária.

ABSTRACT: Annual crops have been frequently used for the establishment and renewing of pastures in the Brazilian Cerrado. However it was only recently that cropping and cattle production have been treated as integrated systems' components. In this context, the publication shows how system concepts and its implementation through mathematical modeling can be used in the management of integrated crop-livestock production systems. Further, it is concluded that the increasing access to computers is creating great opportunities to store and spread out information to better support decision-making. It is concluded, however, that the development of computer models for integrated systems is still incipient and that closer collaboration among researchers of different areas of expertise, mathematicians and software developers is necessary for accelerating and improving the quality decision-support tools for farmers.