New decision support tool launched for making ‘sustainable yet profitable’ land use changes

A new land use planning tool has been launched by ADAS to support land owners and managers with making sustainable yet profitable land use decisions.

The tool – Land Use Management, Evaluation, and Optimisation tool (LUMEO) – uses satellite imagery, farm insight, and machine learning to offer land managers suggestions on how to maximise environmental gains and financial returns from their land.

Generating ideas for land use change

After inputting farm data and the desired end-goal – e.g. pure profit, environmental benefit, carbon neutrality- users are presented with a shortlist of economically viable actions to reach that goal while turning a profit. This ability to offer suggestions makes LUMEO particularly helpful for those who have a goal in mind but are unsure of how to best achieve it.

“Where LUMEO differs from other tools on the market is its ability to generate ideas. It doesn’t require you to already know the actions you want to try out. It will suggest actions based on what is possible on your holding and take into account any ongoing farm business requirements. Our goal is to help farmers to farm, but more efficiently, profitably, and sustainably,” explained ADAS environmental modeller Dan Hobley, developer of the tool.

For those who already have a plan in place, LUMEO can suggest suitable locations for change using maps of the holding – prioritising unused or underutilised land to maximise productivity.

Making sustainable, yet profitable decisions

LUMEO performs a profit calculation for each land use suggestion, allowing users to compare and combine options to find which provides the best financial return.

Dan added: “For every suggested land use change, users can see the profit they could make if they choose to convert X number of hectares. This allows them to effectively weigh up the costs and benefits before committing to any change.”

As well as profit calculations, LUMEO also shows how each land-use option could benefit others and the wider environment, including supporting local nature recovery plans.

Advisor support

At this stage, LUMEO is intended to be used with the help of an advisor.

“We’re keen to use the tool with more farms so we can continue to refine it and develop it. Anyone who feels they could benefit from what LUMEO has to offer is welcome to get in contact with ADAS.”

Visit https://adas.co.uk/services/lumeo/ or contact enquiries@adas.co.uk to learn more.