Agricultural support equipment, agricultural support system

Abstract

To provide an agriculture support device and an agriculture support system that stabilize production of crops by a producer.SOLUTION: An agriculture support device includes: an information acquisition unit that acquires field information on a plurality of fields in which a plurality of producers produce crops; a farm setting unit that sets, on the basis of the plurality of field information acquired by the information acquisition unit, a virtual farm that combines the plurality of fields; a planning unit that formulates a production plan for producing the crops on the virtual farm and modifies the production plan; and an information output unit that outputs the production plan. An agriculture support system includes the agriculture support device, and a producer terminal device managed by each of the plurality of producers who produces the crops and communicating with the agriculture support device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an agricultural support device and an agricultural support system that support agricultural work by agricultural producers. [Background technology]

[0002] Systems are known for supporting agricultural production by crop producers, such as those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

[0003] The plant cultivation management system disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a plan determination device that determines a plant cultivation plan based on the producer's management policy and a plant growth simulation, an environment / work control device that controls the environment around the plant and issues work instructions to workers, and a management execution device that manages the relationship between the plan index value related to the cultivation plan determined by the plan determination device and the actual index value of the plant cultivation obtained by the environment / work control device. The management execution device provides the plan determination device with actual and predicted index value information and work content information, obtains index value plan information from the plan determination device, provides the environment / work control device with information on changes in the work content and a control policy for the environment around the plant, and obtains actual work content information, record information of the plant index value, and the environment around the plant and biological record information from the environment / work control device.

[0004] The crop cultivation linkage system disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a simulation server that provides a crop cultivation simulation game linked with cultivation in a real farm field. The simulation server includes a cultivation status recording unit that records the cultivation status including a yield parameter that determines the yield of the virtual crop cultivated virtually, an automatic growth control unit that automatically grows the virtual crop while updating the cultivation status, a growth correction control unit that receives information that a disaster has occurred in the real farm field and performs a correction process to forcibly reduce the yield parameter, and an allocation amount determination unit that determines the allocation amount of the real crop to the user according to the yield parameter. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-12483 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5973153 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] There are many producers of agricultural products engaged in agriculture, but each producer is usually independent and produces the crops he or she wants and ships them to the market. This leads to a deterioration in the balance between the supply and demand of agricultural products, resulting in oversupply or shortage of agricultural products and fluctuations in the prices of agricultural products, which may make it difficult for producers to produce agricultural products stably.

[0007] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to stabilize agricultural crop production by producers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The technical means of the present invention for solving the above technical problems is characterized by the following points.

[0009] The agricultural support device according to one aspect of the present invention is configured to: , producer information regarding the producer, and demand information regarding demand for agricultural products. and based on the plurality of pieces of farm field information acquired by the information acquisition unit, A plurality of the above The present invention comprises a farm setting unit that sets a virtual farm including a farm field, a planning unit that develops a production plan for producing crops in the virtual farm and modifies the production plan, and an information output unit that outputs the production plan. The field information includes information indicating the area of ​​the field and the production record of the agricultural crop in the field, the producer information includes information indicating the producer's requests regarding the production of the agricultural crop, and the demand information includes information indicating the type of the agricultural crop required and the required amount. The farm setting unit divides the virtual farm into sections corresponding to each of the multiple fields based on the field information, and sets multiple virtual fields. The plan formulation unit determines one or more of the virtual fields that will respectively produce multiple different types of agricultural crops based on the field information, the producer information, and the demand information, and includes the result of the determination in the production plan. do.

[0010] In one aspect of the present invention, The producer information includes information indicating a plurality of requests of the producer regarding the crops that the producer wishes to produce, and the planning unit determines one or more types of crops to be produced in each of the plurality of virtual fields so as to satisfy one or more of the requests of the producer included in the producer information.

[0011] In another aspect of the present invention, The plan formulation unit determines the crops to be produced in each of the virtual fields so as to satisfy the demand for the crops included in the demand information.

[0012] In another aspect of the present invention, The planning unit identifies the crops produced in each of the multiple fields based on the field information and the producer information, determines the increase or decrease trend in demand for the crops in the demand information, and decides whether to produce the same type of crop as the previous time in each of the multiple virtual fields or a different type of crop from the previous time based on the increase or decrease trend, and includes the result of the decision in the production plan.

[0013] In one aspect of the present invention, The information output unit transmits the production plan to a producer terminal device managed by the producer.

[0014] In another aspect of the present invention, The information acquisition unit acquires the farm field information and the producer information from producer terminal devices managed by each of the multiple producers.

[0015] In another aspect of the present invention, The producer information includes information indicating the producer's wishes regarding agricultural work or the producer's crop production capacity.

[0016] In another aspect of the present invention, The farm setting unit extracts the sizes of the fields managed by each of the multiple producers from the multiple field information acquired by the information acquisition unit from the producer terminal devices managed by each of the multiple producers, and adds up the sizes to set the virtual farm that is larger than the field.

[0017] In one aspect of the present invention, the plan development unit Based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit , Each of the plurality of virtual fields in production Decide which crops to use The results of the decision shall be included in the production plan. do.

[0018] In one aspect of the present invention, the plan development unit Based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit , Each of the plurality of virtual fields in To produce the said crops Farm work to be carried out Or the schedule of said agricultural work. Decide The results of the decision shall be included in the production plan. do.

[0019] In one aspect of the present invention, the plan development unit Based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit , Each of the plurality of virtual fields in To produce the said crops Agricultural machinery used, Working equipment, Or determine materials The results of the decision shall be included in the production plan. do.

[0020] In another aspect of the present invention, The plan formulation unit formulates and modifies the production plan for each of the virtual fields based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

[0021] In one aspect of the present invention, the agricultural support device performs the production plan on the virtual farm based on the production plan. The above When agricultural crops are produced The above a supply calculation unit that calculates a supply forecast value of agricultural products; The above Crops Need Based on the plurality of demand information respectively acquired by the information acquisition unit from demander terminal devices managed by a plurality of demanders, The above and a demand calculation unit that calculates a demand forecast value for agricultural products, and the plan formulation unit formulates or modifies the production plan based on the supply forecast value and the demand forecast value.

[0022] In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, the agricultural support device includes a demand proposal unit that proposes promoting or restricting demand for agricultural products based on the production plan.

[0023] In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, the agricultural support device includes a production proposal unit that proposes farm work for producing crops in the field based on the production plan.

[0024] An agricultural support system according to one aspect of the present invention includes the agricultural support device, and producer terminal devices managed by a plurality of producers who produce agricultural crops and which communicate with the agricultural support device.

[0025] In one aspect of the present invention, the agricultural support system further includes a consumer terminal device that is managed by a consumer who needs agricultural products and that communicates with the agricultural support device. Effect of the Invention

[0026] According to the present invention, it is possible to stabilize the production of agricultural crops by producers. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an agricultural support system. [Diagram 2] 11 is a diagram showing an example of information acquired by the agricultural support device. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a farm field and a virtual farm. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information output from the agricultural support device. [Figure 5A] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the agricultural support device and the terminal device. [Figure 5B] 5B is a flowchart showing an example of a subsequent operation of FIG. 5A. [Figure 5C] 5B is a flowchart showing another example of the operation subsequent to that of FIG. 5A. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for inputting a producer's request. [Figure 7A] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of farm field information and producer information. [Figure 7B] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of demand information. [Figure 7C] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a production plan. [Figure 8A] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of farm field information and producer information. [Figure 8B] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a production plan. [Figure 9A] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the field information, the demand information, and the production plan. [Figure 9B] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the percentage of total production area for each agricultural crop. [Figure 9C] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the proportion of total production area for each crop in a virtual farm. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing a modified example of the operation of the agricultural support device and the terminal device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0029] First, the configuration of the agriculture support system 100 and the agriculture support device 1 of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of the agriculture support system 100 of this embodiment. The agriculture support system 100 includes an agriculture support device 1, a producer terminal device 2, and a consumer terminal device 3. The agriculture support device 1 is configured, for example, by a server or a personal computer installed in a management center.

[0030] The producer terminal device 2 is composed of a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet device, or the like, which is managed by the producer who produces the agricultural products. Although three producer terminal devices 2 are illustrated in FIG. 1, the number of producer terminal devices 2 is not limited to three. Producers include, for example, individual farmers and farming groups. Since there are many producers regardless of region, Each producer also manages a large number of producer terminal devices 2. A personal computer, a smartphone, or a tablet device managed by a producer refers to a personal computer, a smartphone, or a tablet device operated or owned by a producer.

[0031] The consumer terminal device 3 is composed of a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet device, or the like managed by a consumer of agricultural products. Although three consumer terminal devices 3 are illustrated in FIG. 1, the number of consumer terminal devices 3 is not limited to three. Consumers include, for example, organizations such as food service companies or supermarkets, other retailers, or business owners who sell agricultural products in markets. Since there are many consumers regardless of region, there are also many consumer terminal devices 3 managed by each consumer. A personal computer, smartphone, or tablet device managed by a consumer refers to a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet device operated or owned by a consumer.

[0032] Hereinafter, the producer terminal device 2 will be simply referred to as the "producer terminal 2," and the consumer terminal device 3 will be simply referred to as the "consumer terminal 3." Additionally, the producer terminal 2 and the consumer terminal 3 will be collectively referred to as the "terminal devices 2, 3."

[0033] The agricultural support device 1 includes a control unit 4, a storage unit 5, and a communication unit 7. The control unit 4 is composed of a CPU (or a microcomputer) and a memory, etc. The control unit 4 includes an information acquisition unit 11, a farm setting unit 12, a plan formulation unit 13, an information output unit 14, a supply calculation unit 15, a demand calculation unit 16, a production proposal unit 17, and a demand proposal unit 18. Each of these units 11 to 18 is composed of software in this example, but may be composed of hardware such as ASIC or FPGA.

[0034] The storage unit 5 is composed of a non-volatile memory device or a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 5 stores various information and data such as control information of the control unit 4 and information transmitted to and received from the terminal devices 2 and 3. The storage unit 5 also stores an agriculture database (DB) 6 that stores various information for carrying out agriculture in the field.

[0035] The communication unit 7 is composed of a communication circuit or a communication device for communicating via a public communication network and the Internet. The agricultural support device 1 communicates with the terminal devices 2 and 3 via the public communication network and the Internet by the communication unit 7. As another example, the agricultural support device 1 may communicate with the terminal devices 2 and 3 via a dedicated line or a short-range communication network.

[0036] 2 is a diagram showing an example of information acquired by the agricultural support device 1 from the terminal devices 2 and 3. The information acquisition unit 11 (FIG. 1) of the agricultural support device 1 acquires (receives) field information about fields where producers produce crops and producer information about producers from multiple producer terminals 2 via the communication unit 7.

[0037] A producer manages one or more fields, and inputs field information for each field that the producer manages into the producer terminal 2 by operating the producer terminal 2 that the producer manages. The field information includes, for example, identification information of the field, the location of the field, the size of the field (area, etc.), the identification number of the manager (producer) of the field, the position of the field (coordinates, etc.), the outline of the field, the type of crop being produced in the field, the production status of the crop in the field (whether or not crops are currently being produced, the type of crop being produced, the number of crops produced, the production area, the production start date and time, the growth state, etc.), or the production record of the crop in the field (whether or not crops have been produced in the past, the type of crop produced, the number of crops produced, the production area, the production period, the matching rate of the produced crop with the region, etc.). However, the field information is not limited to these pieces of information.

[0038] A producer operates the producer terminal 2 that he or she manages to input his or her own producer information into the producer terminal 2. The producer information includes, for example, the producer's identification information, the identification information of the farm field that he or she manages, the producer's requests (the crops that he or she wishes to produce, the time when the farm work will be performed, the contents of the farm work, etc.), the producer's crop production capacity (the crops that can be produced, the amount of the crops that can be produced, the agricultural machinery, work equipment, manpower, etc. managed by the producer), the producer's personal information (name, address, contact information, date of birth, etc.), or crop production record (whether or not the crops have been produced in the past, the types of crops that have been produced, the number produced, the production area, the production period). However, the producer information is not limited to these pieces of information.

[0039] The information acquisition unit 11 acquires (receives) demand information regarding the demand for agricultural products from a plurality of consumer terminals 3 via the communication unit 7. Consumers input demand information for agricultural products they require to the consumer terminal 3 by operating the consumer terminal 3 they manage. The demand information includes, for example, the type of agricultural product, the demand amount (request amount), the required time, variety, production area, or size. However, the demand information is not limited to these pieces of information.

[0040] As another example, the information acquiring unit 11 may acquire field information about a plurality of fields and producer information about a plurality of producers from an external device other than the producer terminal 2. In addition, the information acquiring unit 11 may acquire demand information about the demand for agricultural products from an external device other than the demander terminal 3.

[0041] The farm setting unit 12 (FIG. 1) of the agricultural support device 1 sets a virtual farm that combines multiple fields managed by multiple producers, based on multiple pieces of field information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a field and a virtual farm.

[0042] The multiple pieces of field information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 from the multiple producer terminals 2 each include the size (area) of multiple fields H1 managed by each producer. The farm setting unit 12 extracts the size of each field H1 from the multiple pieces of field information, adds up the sizes, and sets a virtual farm (virtual large farm) H2 larger than each field H1, as shown in Fig. 3. The farm setting unit 12 also divides the virtual farm H2 to correspond to each of the multiple fields H1, and sets a virtual field H1a. That is, the virtual farm H2 is made up of multiple virtual fields H1a.

[0043] The plan formulation unit 13 (FIG. 1) formulates a production plan for producing agricultural crops in the virtual farm H2 set by the farm setting unit 12, and modifies the production plan. The plan formulation unit 13 also formulates or modifies a production plan for each virtual field H1a partitioned by the farm setting unit 12. The plan formulation unit 13 also formulates or modifies the production plan based on the field information, producer information, or demand information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11.

[0044] The plan formulation unit 13 also determines, as a production plan, the crops to be cultivated in each virtual field H1a, the farm work to be performed in each virtual field H1a, the agricultural machinery to be used in each virtual field H1a, the work devices to be connected to the agricultural machinery, or materials (fertilizer, chemicals, water, fuel for the agricultural machinery, etc., and the fees for these). The plan formulation unit 13 also determines, as a production plan, a schedule of the farm work to be performed to produce crops in each virtual field H1a.

[0045] 4 is a diagram showing an example of information output (transmitted) by the agriculture support device 1 to the terminal devices 2 and 3. The information output unit 14 (FIG. 1) of the agriculture support device 1 outputs (transmits) the production plan formulated and revised by the plan formulation unit 13 to the producer terminal 2 via the communication unit 7. The production plan may include, for example, identification information of the virtual farm H2, identification information of the virtual field H1a, the size (area) and location of the field corresponding to the virtual field H1a, the type of crop to be produced in the virtual field H1a, the production method (farming method), the agricultural work to be performed, the agricultural machinery, work equipment and materials to be used, or the agricultural work schedule. etc. are included.

[0046] 1, an output device 8 such as a display or a printer is electrically connected to the agricultural support device 1. The information output unit 14 can also output the production plan and other information formulated and modified by the plan formulation unit 13 through the output device 8 (i.e., display on the display, print on paper by the printer).

[0047] The supply calculation unit 15 calculates a predicted supply value of the crop when the crop is produced in the virtual farm H2 based on the production plan formulated or revised by the plan formulation unit 13. The predicted supply value of the crop includes, for example, the total production volume (total harvest volume) of the crop or the total area (total production area) of the field H1 where the crop is produced. The demand calculation unit 16 calculates a predicted demand value of the crop based on the demand information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11. The predicted demand value includes, for example, the total demand amount (total demand amount) of the crop or the total area (total demand area) of the field H1 where the crop is produced to obtain the total demand amount. The plan formulation unit 13 formulates or modifies a production plan based on the predicted supply value of the crop calculated by the supply calculation unit 15 and the predicted demand value of the crop calculated by the demand calculation unit 16.

[0048] The demand proposal unit 18 proposes promoting or suppressing demand for agricultural products based on the production plan formulated or revised by the plan formulation unit 13. As shown in Fig. 4, the information output unit 14 outputs (transmits) the proposal by the demand proposal unit 18 to promote or suppress demand for agricultural products to the consumer terminal 3 via the communication unit 7. The proposal to promote demand for agricultural products includes information (messages, etc.) to promote sales of agricultural products. The proposal to suppress demand for agricultural products includes information (messages, etc.) to suppress sales of agricultural products.

[0049] The production proposal unit 17 (FIG. 1) proposes farm work for producing agricultural crops in the field H1 based on the production plan formulated or revised by the plan formulation unit 13. As shown in FIG. 4, the information output unit 14 outputs (transmits) the farm work proposal by the production proposal unit 17 to the producer terminal 2 via the communication unit 7. The farm work proposal includes information (messages, etc.) recommending, for example, the implementation of fertilization, chemical, or water spraying work (amounts of these to be sprayed), the implementation (or non-implementation) of other farm work, early shipment of agricultural crops, or the procurement of necessary agricultural machinery, work equipment, and manpower. In addition to these, the farm work proposal may include crop production methods, know-how, or other advice.

[0050] Next, the operation of the agricultural support device 1 and the terminal devices 2, 3 will be described. Figures 5A and 5B are flowcharts showing an example of the operation of the agricultural support device 1 and the terminal devices 2, 3. Figure 5B shows the operation continued from Figure 5A. For convenience, Figures 5A and 5B show one series of operations of the producer terminal 2 and one series of operations of the consumer terminal 3, but there are multiple producer terminals 2 and multiple consumer terminals 3 (Figure 1), and the series of operations shown in Figures 5A and 5B are executed in each producer terminal 2 and each consumer terminal 3.

[0051] When the field information and producer information are transmitted from the multiple producer terminals 2 (S1 in FIG. 5A), each piece of field information and each piece of producer information is received by the communication unit 7 of the agriculture support device 1 and acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 (S2). At this time, the information acquisition unit 11 stores the acquired field information and producer information in the memory unit 5. Then, the farm setting unit 12 sets the virtual farm H2 and the virtual field H1a as described above based on the multiple pieces of field information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 (S3, see FIG. 3).

[0052] Furthermore, when demand information is transmitted from a plurality of demand terminals 3 (S4 in FIG. 5A), each piece of demand information is received by the communication unit 7 of the agriculture support device 1 and acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 (S5). At this time, the information acquisition unit 11 stores the acquired demand information in the storage unit 5. The planning unit 13 formulates a production plan for producing crops in the virtual farm H2 based on the field information, producer information, or demand information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 (S6). At this time, the planning unit 13 formulates a production plan for each virtual field H1a of the virtual farm H2 based on one or more predetermined pieces of information among the various pieces of information included in the field information, producer information, and demand information.

[0053] Specifically, for example, the planning unit 13 formulates a production plan for each virtual field H1a of the virtual farm H2 based on the production record of the crop in the field H1 included in the field information, the production capacity of the crop by the producer included in the producer information, or the demand amount of the crop included in the demand information. The planning unit 13 may formulate a production plan for each virtual field H1a based on other field information (e.g., the outline of the field H1, the production status of the crop in the field H1, etc.), producer information (e.g., the production record of the crop by the producer, etc.), or demand information (e.g., the required time and size of the crop, etc.).

[0054] After formulating the production plan, the plan formulation unit 13 checks the producer's requests included in the producer information and judges whether the production plan of the virtual field H1a corresponding to the field H1 managed by the producer satisfies the producer's requests. If the production plan of the virtual field H1a does not satisfy the corresponding producer's requests (S7: NO), the plan formulation unit 13 corrects the production plan of the virtual field H1a so as to satisfy the producer's requests (S8). As a result, the production plan of the virtual farm H2 composed of multiple virtual fields H1a is also corrected. Note that, in the judgment of whether the producer's requests are satisfied (S7), if at least one request or a predetermined number of requests of the multiple producers can be satisfied, the plan formulation unit 13 may judge that the producer's requests are satisfied.

[0055] Next, the supply calculation unit 15 calculates a supply prediction value of the crops when the crops are produced in the virtual farm H2 based on the production plan formulated by the plan formulation unit 13 (S9). At this time, for example, the supply calculation unit 15 refers to the size (area) of the virtual farm H2 included in the production plan, the production record of the crops in the field H1 included in the field information, statistical data on the crop yields included in the agriculture database 6, or meteorological information, and calculates the total production volume of the crops when the crops are produced in the virtual farm H2 as the supply prediction value using a predetermined formula or probabilistically.

[0056] Furthermore, the demand calculation unit 16 calculates a demand forecast value for agricultural products based on the demand information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 (S10). At this time, for example, the supply calculation unit 15 calculates a total demand amount (total demand amount) obtained by adding up the demand amounts (request amounts) of agricultural products included in all the demand information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 as the demand forecast value.

[0057] Then, the plan development unit 13 judges whether the demand for the agricultural crop is satisfied based on the supply prediction value (total production volume) and the demand prediction value (total demand volume) for each agricultural crop. Specifically, for example, the plan development unit 13 compares the supply prediction value (total production volume) and the demand prediction value (total demand volume) for each agricultural crop, and judges that the demand for the agricultural crop is not satisfied if the supply prediction value is less than the demand prediction value (S11: NO in FIG. 5B). Then, the plan development unit 13 appropriately corrects the production plans of one or more virtual fields H1a so as to satisfy the demand, i.e., so that the supply prediction value is equal to or greater than the demand prediction value (S12). This also corrects the production plan of the virtual farm H2.

[0058] After the production plan is formulated or revised by the plan formulation unit 13 as described above, the information output unit 14 transmits (outputs) the production plan of each virtual field H1a via the communication unit 7 to the producer terminal 2 of the manager (producer) of the corresponding field H1 (S13).

[0059] When the producer terminal 2 receives the production plan from the agricultural support device 1, the production plan is stored in a storage unit of the producer terminal 2 (S14). After that, the producer operates the producer terminal 2 to By this, the contents of the production plan stored in the memory unit of the producer terminal 2 are displayed on a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or touch panel equipped on the producer terminal 2 (S15). Then, when the producer visually checks the contents of the production plan displayed on the display unit and inputs producer information including new requests related to the production plan into the producer terminal 2, the producer information is transmitted from the producer terminal 2 to the agriculture support device 1 (S16). In addition, when the producer inputs new field information into the producer terminal 2, the field information is transmitted from the producer terminal 2 to the agriculture support device 1 (S16).

[0060] In the agricultural support device 1, when the information acquisition unit 11 acquires the producer information or the field information from the producer terminal 2 through the communication unit 7 (S17), the plan formulation unit 13 refers to the producer information or the field information and the corresponding production plan of the virtual field H1a to determine whether or not the production plan needs to be revised. At this time, for example, if the producer information includes a request to produce a different crop from the crop indicated in the production plan of the virtual field H1a, or if the field information includes a change in the size (area) of the field H1, the plan formulation unit 13 determines that the production plan of the virtual field H1a needs to be revised (S18: YES). Then, the plan formulation unit 13 revises the production plan of the virtual field H1a based on the producer information or the field information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 (S19). The information output unit 14 transmits the production plan corrected by the plan formulation unit 13 to the producer terminal 2 via the communication unit 7 (S20).

[0061] On the other hand, if the producer information includes a request for carrying out the farm work indicated in the production plan for the virtual field H1a, such as a request for the provision of agricultural machinery or materials, the plan formulation unit 13 determines that it is not necessary to revise the production plan for the virtual field H1a (S18: NO). In this case, the plan formulation unit 13 does not revise the production plan.

[0062] Next, the plan development unit 13 searches, for example, the agriculture database 6 (FIG. 1), checks inventory information indicating the inventory of agricultural machinery or materials at pre-registered agricultural machinery dealers or agricultural support centers, etc., and determines whether the agricultural machinery or materials are available. If the agricultural machinery or materials are available, the plan development unit 13 determines the quantity, date and time when the agricultural machinery or materials can be provided. After this, the information output unit 14 returns a response (response to the request) including the result of the determination by the plan development unit 13 to the producer terminal 2 via the communication unit 7 (S21).

[0063] When the producer terminal 2 receives the response from the agricultural support device 1 (S22), it stores the response content (whether agricultural machinery or materials can be provided, and if they can be provided, the available quantity and date and time, etc.) and displays it on the display unit (S23). The producer who sees the displayed content can procure agricultural machinery or materials and carry out farm work according to the production plan.

[0064] Furthermore, when a consumer inputs new demand information into the consumer terminal 3, the demand information is transmitted from the consumer terminal 3 to the agricultural support device 1 (S24). In the agricultural support device 1, when the information acquisition unit 11 acquires the demand information from the consumer terminal 3 through the communication unit 7 (S25), the plan formulation unit 13 refers to the demand information and the production plan of the virtual farm H2 and judges whether or not the production plan needs to be revised. Here, when the plan formulation unit 13 judges that revision is necessary (S26: YES), it revises the production plan of the virtual farm H2 based on the demand information (S27). The information output unit 14 transmits the production plan revised by the plan formulation unit 13 to the producer terminal 2 through the communication unit 7 (S28).

[0065] Thereafter, the agricultural support device 1 executes the process S7 in Fig. 5A and thereafter. The producer terminal 2 repeatedly executes the process S14 in Fig. 5B and thereafter, for example. The consumer terminal 3 repeatedly executes the process S24 in Fig. 5B, for example.

[0066] FIG. 5C is a flowchart showing another example of the operation of the agricultural support device 1 and the terminal devices 2 and 3. In detail, Fig. 5C shows the operation subsequent to the operation of the agricultural support device 1 and the terminal devices 2 and 3 shown in Fig. 5A. That is, instead of the operation shown in Fig. 5B described above, the operation shown in Fig. 5C is executed. In Fig. 5C, the same processes as those shown in Fig. 5B are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0067] In FIG. 5A, after the processes S1 to S10 are executed as described above, the plan formulation unit 13 of the agricultural support device 1 determines that the demand for the agricultural products is not satisfied (S31: NO in FIG. 5C) when, for example, the supply forecast value of the agricultural products based on the production plan is less than the demand forecast value of the agricultural products based on the demand information, or when the supply forecast value is equal to or greater than a predetermined excess value that is greater than the demand forecast value. In this case, the plan formulation unit 13 then corrects the production plans of the virtual field H1a and the virtual farm H2 (S12), and the information output unit 14 transmits (outputs) the corrected production plans to each producer terminal 2 via the communication unit 7 (S13). In addition, the demand proposal unit 18 proposes suppression or promotion of the demand (sales) of the agricultural products based on the corrected production plans, and the information output unit 14 transmits (outputs) the proposal to one or more demander terminals 3 via the communication unit 7 (S32).

[0068] When the consumer terminal 3 receives a proposal to suppress or promote demand for agricultural products from the agricultural support device 1 (S33), it stores the contents of the proposal and then displays it on a display unit, such as an LCD display or a touch panel, equipped on the consumer terminal 3 (S34). As a result, when a proposal to suppress demand for agricultural products is displayed on the display unit of the consumer terminal 3, a consumer who sees the display will take measures to suppress sales, such as not displaying the agricultural products in a store. Also, when a proposal to promote demand for agricultural products is displayed on the display unit of the consumer terminal 3, a consumer who sees the display will take measures to promote sales, such as displaying the agricultural products in a storefront or advertising the sale of the agricultural products.

[0069] Furthermore, in the agricultural support device 1, the production proposal unit 17 proposes farm work for producing agricultural crops in the field H1 based on the revised production plan, and the information output unit 14 transmits (outputs) the proposal to one or more producer terminals 2 via the communication unit 7 (S35). Specifically, the production proposal unit 17 proposes, for example, adding or reducing farm work such as fertilization, early shipment of agricultural crops, or changing agricultural machinery or work equipment. The production proposal unit 17 may make the same proposal to multiple producer terminals 2, and the information output unit 14 may transmit the same proposal to each producer terminal 2, or the production proposal unit 17 may make different proposals, and the information output unit 14 may transmit each proposal to the corresponding producer terminal 2.

[0070] When the producer terminal 2 receives a proposal from the agricultural support device 1 (S36), it stores the contents of the proposal and displays them on the display unit (S37). After that, when the producer visually checks the contents of the proposal for the farm work displayed on the display unit and inputs a response (included in the producer information) to the producer terminal 2 indicating whether or not the proposal is accepted or including a request for the proposal, the response is returned from the producer terminal 2 to the agricultural support device 1 (S38).

[0071] In the agricultural support device 1, when the information acquisition unit 11 acquires the reply sent back from the producer terminal 2 via the communication unit 7 (S39), the plan formulation unit 13 refers to the reply and the production plan to determine whether or not the production plan needs to be revised. At this time, for example, if the reply from the producer terminal 2 includes an acceptance of the proposal from the production proposal unit 17, the plan formulation unit 13 determines that the production plan does not need to be revised (S40: NO) and executes the process from S7 in FIG. 5A onwards.

[0072] Furthermore, for example, if the response from the producer terminal 2 includes a message indicating that the proposal from the production proposal unit 17 is not accepted, the planning unit 13 determines that the production plan needs to be revised (S40: YES in FIG. 5C) and revises the production plan (S41). The information output unit 14 transmits the production plan revised by the planning unit 13 to the producer terminal 2 via the communication unit 7 (S42). Thereafter, The process proceeds from step S7 in FIG. 5A.

[0073] Next, the producer's requests will be described. The producer inputs the producer's requests into the producer terminal device 2, and the producer terminal device 2 transmits the producer information to the agriculture support device 1, whereby the agriculture support device 1 can acquire the producer's requests. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (request input screen) M10 for inputting the producer's requests. This request input screen M10 is displayed on a display unit provided in the producer terminal device 2 by performing a predetermined operation on the producer terminal device 2. The producer terminal device 2 transmits the information input into the request input screen M10 to the agriculture support device 1 as producer information.

[0074] In the request input screen M10, it is possible to input the agricultural products to be produced as the producer's request. In the request input screen M10, the production history section 201 is a key for displaying agricultural products that the producer has produced in the past. For example, when the producer operates the producer terminal device 2 and selects the production history section 201, agricultural products that the producer has produced in the past are displayed in a pop-up on the request input screen M10.

[0075] The crop designation section 202 includes input fields 203, 204 into which the producer directly inputs the crop he or she wishes to produce. In Fig. 10, two input fields 203, 204 are illustrated as an example, but the number of input fields may be one, or three or more. The producer may increase or decrease the number of input fields in the crop designation section 202 by operating the producer terminal device 2. For example, the producer operates the producer terminal device 2 to select one of the input fields 203, 204 in the production record section 201, and then inputs the crop he or she wishes to produce in that input field.

[0076] Using the request input screen M10 described above, a producer can input a request to produce again a crop that he or she has produced in the past, or a request to produce a new crop that he or she has not produced before.

[0077] Next, a specific example of formulation and correction of a production plan by the agriculture support device 1 will be described. Fig. 7A is a diagram showing an example of farm field information and producer information. Fig. 7B is a diagram showing an example of demand information. Fig. 7C is a diagram showing an example of a production plan.

[0078] The plan formulation unit 13 extracts specific information from the field information and producer information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 of the agricultural support device 1 from the multiple producer terminals 2, and associates the specific information with each virtual field H1a of the virtual farm H2 set by the farm setting unit 12, as shown in Fig. 7A. In Fig. 7A, the specific information includes the name (identification information) of the producer managing the field H1 corresponding to each virtual field H1a, the identification information of the field H1, and the crops previously produced in the field H1.

[0079] Furthermore, the demand calculation unit 16 of the agriculture support device 1 calculates the demand for each agricultural product from the demand information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 from the multiple demander terminals 3, as shown in Fig. 7B. The plan formulation unit 13 then determines the increasing or decreasing trend of the demand for each agricultural product from the calculation results of the demand calculation unit 16. In Fig. 7B, the demand for the agricultural products "onion" and "cabbage" is high and the demand for these is on the rise. Also, the demand for "carrots," "lettuce," and "broccoli" is low and the demand for these is on the decline.

[0080] The plan formulation unit 13 formulates a production plan for each virtual field H1a of the virtual farm H2 as shown in FIG. 7C based on the field information and producer information shown in FIG. 7A and the demand information shown in FIG. 7B. In detail, as shown in FIG. 7B, the demand for "onion" and "cabbage" is on the increase, while the demand for "carrot", "lettuce", and "broccoli" is on the decrease. Therefore, the plan formulation unit 13 formulates a production plan for each virtual field H1a of the virtual farm H2 as shown in FIG. 7A. As shown in Figure 7C, we plan to produce "onions" in fields "001" to "005" where "vegetables" were produced, and in fields "006" and "007" where "carrots" were produced.

[0081] In addition, the planning unit 13 plans to produce "cabbage" in the fields "008" to "010" where "cabbage" was produced as shown in FIG. 7A and in the fields "011" and "012" where "broccoli" was produced as shown in FIG. 7C. Furthermore, the planning unit 13 plans to produce "carrots" in the field "013", "lettuce" in the field "014", and "broccoli" in the field "015" as shown in FIG. 7C, among the fields "013" to "015" where "lettuce" was produced as shown in FIG. 7A. That is, the planning unit 13 formulates a production plan for the virtual farm H2 according to the field information, producer information, and demand information.

[0082] In addition, after formulating a production plan as shown in FIG. 7C, when the plan formulation unit 13 acquires new field information from the consumer terminal 3 via the information acquisition unit 11, or when the plan formulation unit 13 acquires new producer information including the producer's requests for the crops etc. that he wishes to produce via the information acquisition unit 11 from the producer terminal 2, the plan formulation unit 13 revises the production plan for each virtual field H1a of the virtual farm H2 in accordance with the field information or producer information (details not shown).

[0083] Fig. 8A is a diagram showing another example of farm field information and producer information, and Fig. 8B is a diagram showing another example of a production plan.

[0084] The plan formulation unit 13 aggregates the field information and producer information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 from the multiple producer terminals 2 to create a field producer table as shown in Fig. 8A. The field producer table in Fig. 8A includes the name of the producer, the identification information of the producer, the identification information of the field H1 managed by the producer, the area of ​​the field H1, the location of the field H1, the machinery (agricultural machinery and working equipment, etc.) used in the field H1, the crops produced in the field H1, and the producer's requests.

[0085] The farm setting unit 12 sets one or more virtual farms H2 and a virtual field H1a included in the virtual farm H2 by combining, for example, a plurality of fields H1 shown in the field producer table of Fig. 8A. The plan formulation unit 13 creates a production plan as shown in Fig. 8B based on the information in the field producer table. In detail, the plan formulation unit 13 adjusts the crops to be produced in the virtual field H1a included in the virtual farm H2 so as to satisfy the producer's requests among the information included in the field producer table.

[0086] The production plan in Fig. 8B includes the name of the virtual farm H2, the identification number of the virtual farm H2, the name of the producer, the identification information of the virtual field H1a managed by the producer, the area of ​​the virtual field H1a, the location of the virtual field H1a, the crops to be produced in the virtual field H1a, the farm work to be performed in the virtual field H1a, and the agricultural machinery to be used in the virtual field H1a. The information about the virtual field H1a is the same as the information about the corresponding field H1.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 8A, "Producer A" who produces "onions" and "cabbages" wishes to concentrate on producing "onions", and "Producer E" who produces "lettuce" wishes to increase the types of agricultural products that he produces. For this reason, the planning unit 13 plans to produce "onions" in the virtual field H1a corresponding to "Producer A" as shown in FIG. 8B. In addition, in order to secure a certain amount of production of "cabbage", the planning unit 13 plans to produce only "cabbage" in the virtual field H1a corresponding to "Producer D" who produced "broccoli" and "cabbage" as shown in FIG. 8A as shown in FIG. 8B. In addition, the planning unit 13 plans to produce "lettuce", "carrots", and "broccoli" in the virtual field H1a corresponding to "Producer E".

[0088] Fig. 9A is a diagram showing an example of a supply forecast value and a demand forecast value. Fig. 9B is a diagram showing a graph of the ratio of the total production area for each agricultural product. Fig. 9C is a diagram showing a graph of the ratio of the total production area for each agricultural product in virtual farm H2.

[0089] The supply calculation unit 15 of the agricultural support device 1 extracts the previous production area of ​​the crop in each field H1 from the production results of the crops contained in the field information of each crop acquired from multiple producer terminals 2 by the information acquisition unit 11, and calculates a total production result area (Figure 9A) by adding up the previous production areas for each crop.

[0090] The demand calculation unit 16 extracts the demand amount of the agricultural crops included in each piece of demand information acquired from the multiple demand terminals 3 by the information acquisition unit 11, and calculates a total demand amount by adding up the demand amount for each agricultural crop. Furthermore, to obtain the total demand amount, the demand calculation unit 16 calculates each total demand area ( FIG. 9A ) by adding up the areas of the virtual farm fields H1a in which each agricultural crop is produced. The total demand area is an example of a demand forecast value.

[0091] The plan formulation unit 13 extracts the field H1 where each crop was produced last time and the area of ​​that field H1 from the production results of the crops included in each field information acquired from the multiple producer terminals 2 by the information acquisition unit 11. The plan formulation unit 13 also compares, for each crop, the total production result area calculated by the supply calculation unit 15 with the total demand area calculated by the demand calculation unit 16. Then, based on the extraction results and the comparison results, the plan formulation unit 13 determines the crops to be produced in each virtual field H1a as a production plan for the virtual farm H2.

[0092] The supply calculation unit 15 also calculates the total production area ( FIG. 9A ) obtained by adding up the areas of the virtual fields H1a for each crop determined as described above as a predicted supply value for the crop. The plan formulation unit 13 then corrects the production plans for the virtual field H1a and the virtual farm H2 by adjusting (changing) the crops to be produced in each virtual field H1a so that the total production area calculated by the plan formulation unit 13 for each crop is equal to or greater than the total demand area calculated by the demand calculation unit 16.

[0093] As described above, the plan formulation unit 13 formulates and modifies the production plan for the virtual farm H2, so that the supply forecast value of each agricultural product becomes equal to or greater than the demand forecast value in the multiple fields H1 managed by the multiple producers. In the example shown in Figures 9A to 9C, there is not much difference in the total production area of ​​the multiple agricultural products shown in Figure 9B, whereas in the virtual farm H2, the total production area of ​​"onion" and "cabbage" is larger than the total production area of ​​other agricultural products according to the demand information, as shown in Figure 9C.

[0094] In Figures 7C and 8B, a production plan in tabular form is shown as an example, but the planning unit 13 may formulate or modify a production plan, for example, an agricultural work schedule indicating agricultural work for producing crops and the time when the agricultural work is to be performed, and the information output unit 14 may output it to the producer terminal 2.

[0095] In the above-described embodiment, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the information output unit 14 outputs the production plan formulated and revised by the planning unit 13 to the producer terminal 2. However, in addition to this, for example, when the planning unit 13 formulates a production plan, the information output unit 14 may immediately output the production plan to the producer terminal 2, and then when the planning unit 13 revises the production plan, the information output unit 14 may output the revised production plan to the producer terminal 2.

[0096] In the above-described embodiment, the production proposal unit 17 proposes farm work or agricultural machinery for producing agricultural crops in the field H1, and the demand proposal unit 18 proposes promotion or suppression of the demand for agricultural crops, but the proposals of the proposal units 17 and 18 are not limited to these. For example, The number of workers required to produce the crops may be proposed, or changes to the crops or the demand quantity of the crops requested by the demand proposal unit 18 may be proposed.

[0097] In the above-described embodiment, after the agriculture support device 1 formulates a production plan, it is determined whether or not the producer's request is satisfied. However, the producer's request may be reconfirmed before determining whether or not the producer's request is satisfied. An embodiment in this case is shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing a modified example of the operation of the agriculture support device 1 and the terminal devices 2 and 3. The operation shown in Fig. 10 is executed in place of the operation shown in Fig. 5A.

[0098] In FIG. 10, when a production plan is formulated by the plan formulation unit 13 of the agricultural support device 1 (S6), the information output unit 14 transmits the production plan to the producer terminal device 2 (S50). When the producer terminal device 2 receives the production plan (S51), it displays the production plan on the display unit (S52). The producer terminal device 2 also displays the producer's request included in the producer information transmitted to the agricultural support device 1 in process S1 on the display unit (S53), and executes a request confirmation process (S54). In the request confirmation process, the producer terminal device 2 receives a predetermined operation by the producer and displays the above-mentioned request input screen M10 (FIG. 10) on the display unit. At this time, the producer terminal device 2 displays the producer's request included in the producer information transmitted to the agricultural support device 1 in process S1 on the request input screen M10.

[0099] The producer terminal device 2 also accepts changes to the request displayed on the request input screen M10. That is, the producer terminal device 2 accepts changes to the crop that the producer wants to produce on the request input screen M10. When the request (the crop to produce) is changed on the request input screen M10, the producer terminal device 2 transmits a request change notice including the request change and the changed request to the agricultural support device 1 (S55). When the agricultural support device 1 receives the request change notice (S56), it updates the producer's request included in the producer information stored in the storage unit 5 with the changed request included in the request change notice, and uses the changed request to determine whether the producer's request is satisfied (S7).

[0100] On the other hand, if the request has not been changed on the request input screen M10, the producer terminal device 2, for example, transmits a no-request-change notification to the agricultural support device 1 indicating that the request has not been changed (S55). When the agricultural support device 1 receives the no-request-change notification (S56), it does not update the producer information stored in the storage unit 5, and uses the request included in the producer information to determine whether or not the producer's request is satisfied (S7). As another example, if the request has not been changed on the request input screen M10, the producer terminal device 2 does not need to transmit the no-request-change notification to the agricultural support device 1.

[0101] The agriculture support device 1 and the agriculture support system 100 of the present embodiment described above have the following configuration and provide the following effects.

[0102] The agricultural support device 1 of this embodiment includes an information acquisition unit 11 that acquires field information regarding a plurality of fields H1 where a plurality of producers each produce crops, a farm setting unit 12 that sets a virtual farm H2 combining the plurality of fields H1 based on the plurality of field information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11, a plan formulation unit 13 that formulates a production plan for producing crops in the virtual farm H2 and modifies the production plan, and an information output unit 14 that outputs the production plan.

[0103] According to the above configuration, multiple producers can cooperate with multiple fields H1 in which they produce agricultural products through production planning. This makes it possible to suppress the deterioration of the balance between agricultural product supply and demand, the excess or shortage of agricultural product supply, and fluctuations in agricultural product prices, thereby stabilizing the production of agricultural products by each producer.

[0104] In this embodiment, the information output unit 14 transmits the production plan to the producer terminal device 2 managed by the producer. This allows the producer to check the production plan on the producer terminal device 2 and produce agricultural products stably and easily in accordance with the production plan.

[0105] In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires field information from the producer terminal device 2 managed by each producer, and the plan formulation unit 13 formulates or modifies a production plan based on the field information. As a result, by inputting field information on a field H1 where multiple producers produce crops through the producer terminal device 2, a production plan corresponding to the field H1 is formulated or modified, so that the producer can stably and easily produce crops in accordance with the production plan.

[0106] In this embodiment, the plan formulation unit 13 formulates or modifies the production plan based on the production record of the agricultural crop in the field H1 included in the field information. This allows the producer to stably and easily produce the agricultural crop in accordance with the production plan according to the production record of the agricultural crop in the field H1.

[0107] In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires producer information related to each producer from the producer terminal device 2 managed by each producer, and the plan formulation unit 13 formulates or modifies a production plan based on the producer information. This allows the producer to stably and easily produce agricultural products according to a production plan that suits them.

[0108] In this embodiment, the plan formulation unit 13 formulates or modifies the production plan based on the producer's request or the producer's crop production capacity included in the producer information, thereby enabling the producer to stably and easily produce crops according to a production plan based on his or her request or production capacity.

[0109] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the farm setting unit 12 extracts the size of the field H1 managed by each producer from the multiple pieces of field information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 from the producer terminal device 2 managed by each producer, and sets a virtual farm H2 larger than the field H1 by adding up the sizes. This makes it possible to set a virtual farm that appropriately corresponds to the multiple fields H1 managed by multiple producers, and to formulate a production plan for the virtual farm H2 according to the multiple fields H1.

[0110] In this embodiment, the farm setting unit 12 divides the virtual farm H2 into sections corresponding to the multiple fields H1 to set virtual fields H1a, and the plan formulation unit 13 formulates and modifies a production plan for each virtual field H1a. This allows multiple producers to stably and easily produce crops in accordance with the production plans for the virtual fields H1a corresponding to the fields H1 managed by each producer.

[0111] In the present embodiment, the plan formulation unit 13 determines at least the crops to be cultivated in each virtual field H1a as a production plan. This allows the crops indicated in the production plans of the virtual field H1a corresponding to the fields H1 managed by the multiple producers to be produced stably and easily.

[0112] In this embodiment, the plan formulation unit 13 determines at least the farm work to be performed in each virtual field H1a as a production plan. This allows multiple producers to stably and easily produce crops by performing the farm work indicated in the production plan for the virtual field H1a corresponding to the field H1 managed by each producer.

[0113] In the present embodiment, the plan formulation unit 13 formulates a production plan for at least each virtual farm field H In this way, the farm work can be carried out using the agricultural machinery or materials indicated in the production plan of the virtual farm field H1a corresponding to the farm field H1 managed by each of the multiple producers, thereby enabling stable and easy production of agricultural crops.

[0114] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires demand information regarding the demand for agricultural products, and the plan formulation unit 13 formulates or modifies a production plan based on the demand information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11. This allows producers to stably and easily produce agricultural products in accordance with a production plan according to the demand for the agricultural products.

[0115] In this embodiment, the agricultural support device 1 includes a supply calculation unit 15 that calculates a supply forecast value of the agricultural product when the agricultural product is produced in the virtual farm H2 based on the production plan, and a demand calculation unit 16 that calculates a demand forecast value of the agricultural product based on a plurality of pieces of demand information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 from the consumer terminal device 3 managed by a plurality of consumer of the agricultural product, and the plan formulation unit 13 formulates or modifies a production plan based on the supply forecast value and the demand forecast value. As a result, a production plan that balances the supply and demand of the agricultural product is formulated, and the producer can stably produce the agricultural product according to the production plan.

[0116] In this embodiment, the agricultural support device 1 includes a demand proposal unit 18 that proposes the promotion or suppression of demand for agricultural products based on the production plan. This allows the demand for agricultural products to be adjusted, and the production of agricultural products by producers can be stabilized.

[0117] In this embodiment, the agricultural support device 1 includes a production proposal unit 17 that proposes farm work for producing agricultural crops in the field H1 based on the production plan. This allows the producer to carry out farm work according to the production plan and produce agricultural crops stably.

[0118] The agricultural support system 100 of this embodiment includes an agricultural support device 1 and a producer terminal device 2 that is managed by each of multiple producers who produce agricultural crops and communicates with the agricultural support device 1. This allows the farm field information and producer information input by the multiple producers to the producer terminal device 2 to be transmitted from the producer terminal device 2 to the agricultural support device 1, and the agricultural support device 1 can formulate or modify a production plan based on the farm field information or producer information. In addition, the production plan can be transmitted from the agricultural support device 1 to the producer terminal device 2, and the producer can confirm the production plan using the producer terminal device 2. This allows the producer to stably produce agricultural crops in accordance with the production plan.

[0119] In this embodiment, the agricultural support system 100 further includes a demander terminal device 3 that is managed by a demander who needs the agricultural crop and communicates with the agricultural support device 1. This allows demand information input by the demander of the agricultural crop to the demander terminal device 3 to be transmitted from the demander terminal device 3 to the agricultural support device 1, and the agricultural support device 1 can formulate or modify a production plan based on the demand information. In addition, a proposal for adjusting the demand for the agricultural crop based on the production plan can be transmitted from the agricultural support device 1 to the demander terminal device 3, and the demander can confirm the proposal via the demander terminal device 3. Then, the demander can accept the proposal and take measures to promote or suppress the demand for the agricultural crop.

[0120] Although the present invention has been described above, the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0121] 1 Agricultural support equipment 2. Producer terminal device 3 Consumer terminal equipment 11 Information acquisition department 12 Farm Setting Department 13 Planning Department 14 Information output section 15 Supply calculation section 16 Demand calculation section 17 Production Proposal Department 18 Demand proposal department 100 Agricultural Support System H1 Field H1a Virtual field H2 Virtual Farm

Claims

1. an information acquisition unit that acquires field information on a plurality of fields in which a plurality of producers respectively produce agricultural products, producer information on the producers, and demand information on demand for the agricultural products; a farm setting unit that sets a virtual farm including a plurality of the fields based on the plurality of pieces of field information acquired by the information acquisition unit; A planning unit that develops a production plan for producing crops in the virtual farm and modifies the production plan; an information output unit that outputs the production plan, The farm field information includes information indicating an area of ​​the farm field and a production record of agricultural crops in the farm field, The producer information includes information indicating the producer's wishes regarding the production of agricultural crops, The demand information includes information indicating the type and quantity of required agricultural products, the farm setting unit divides the virtual farm into sections corresponding to the plurality of fields based on the field information, and sets the plurality of virtual fields; The planning unit determines one or more of the virtual fields for producing multiple different types of agricultural crops based on the field information, the producer information, and the demand information, and includes the determination result in the production plan.

2. The producer information includes information indicating a plurality of requests of the producer regarding the crops that the producer desires to produce; The agricultural support device according to claim 1 , wherein the planning unit determines one or more types of crops to be produced in each of the virtual fields so as to satisfy one or more of a plurality of requests of the producer included in the producer information.

3. An agricultural support device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the planning unit determines the crops to be produced in each of the multiple virtual fields so as to meet the demand for the crops included in the demand information.

4. An agricultural support device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the planning unit identifies the crops produced in each of the multiple fields based on the field information and the producer information, determines a trend of increase or decrease in demand for the crops in the demand information, and decides whether to produce the same type of crop as the previous time or a different type of crop from the previous time in each of the multiple virtual fields depending on the trend of increase or decrease, and includes the result of the decision in the production plan.

5. 5. The agricultural support device according to claim 1, wherein the information output unit transmits the production plan to a producer terminal device managed by the producer.

6. The agricultural support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the information acquisition unit acquires the farm field information and the producer information from producer terminal devices managed by each of the multiple producers.

7. An agricultural support device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the producer information includes information indicating the producer's requests regarding agricultural work or the producer's crop production capacity.

8. The agricultural support device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the farm setting unit extracts the sizes of the fields managed by each of the multiple producers from the multiple pieces of field information acquired by the information acquisition unit from producer terminal devices managed by each of the multiple producers, and adds up the sizes to set the virtual farm larger than the field.

9. The agricultural support device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the planning unit determines the crops to be produced in each of the plurality of virtual fields based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, and includes the determined results in the production plan.

10. The agricultural support device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the planning unit determines agricultural work to be carried out to produce the crops in each of the plurality of virtual fields or a schedule for the agricultural work based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, and includes the determined results in the production plan.

11. The agricultural support device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the planning unit determines agricultural machinery, work equipment, or materials to be used to produce the crops in each of the multiple virtual fields based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, and includes the results of the determination in the production plan.

12. An agricultural support device as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the plan formulation unit formulates and modifies the production plan for each virtual field based on information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

13. a supply calculation unit that calculates a supply prediction value of the agricultural crop when the agricultural crop is produced in the virtual farm based on the production plan; a demand calculation unit that calculates a demand forecast value for the agricultural product based on a plurality of pieces of demand information respectively acquired by the information acquisition unit from consumer terminal devices managed by a plurality of consumers who require the agricultural product; The agricultural support device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the plan formulation unit formulates or modifies the production plan based on the supply forecast value and the demand forecast value.

14. The agricultural support device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising a demand proposal unit that proposes promotion or suppression of demand for agricultural products based on the production plan.

15. The agricultural support device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising a production proposal unit that proposes farm work for producing crops in the farm field based on the production plan.

16. An agricultural support device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, An agricultural support system including: a producer terminal device managed by each of a plurality of producers who produce agricultural crops and which communicates with the agricultural support device.

17. 17. The agricultural support system according to claim 16, further comprising a consumer terminal device which is managed by a consumer who needs agricultural products and which communicates with said agricultural support device.

Images