Agricultural support system

Abstract

This farming support system (100) is provided with: a data storage unit (11) which stores data relating to farming in a field (H1) that can be planted with crops; a growth prediction unit (12) which predicts the growth of crops on the basis of the data stored in the data storage unit (11); a plan creation unit (13) which creates an agricultural crop plan when planting crops on the basis of the growth of crops predicted by the growth prediction unit (12); a machine storage unit (15) which stores multiple use machines used in agricultural crop; a machine request unit (22) which, from the multiple use machines stored in the use machine storage unit (15), requests a use machine, which is a machine that will be used in agricultural crop, and a borrowing time of said use machine; and an adjustment unit (18) which adjusts the borrowing time of the use machines in the case that the use machine requested by the machine request unit (22) cannot be borrowed at the borrowing time.

Description

Agricultural Support System

[0001] The present invention relates to an agricultural support system.

[0002] A known technology for renting out work machines is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The work machine rental system disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a first management server having a communication unit capable of outputting first information about the work machine when a reservation for rental of the work machine is made, and a second management server having a memory unit that stores second information about the work machine that has been manufactured or sold. The second management server has an issuing unit that issues command information including permission or denial of permission to rent the work machine by referencing the first information and the second information stored in the memory unit.

[0003] Furthermore, a technology for supporting agriculture is known, as disclosed in Patent Document 2. The agricultural support system disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a data collection device that is installed in an agricultural machine that performs agricultural work in a field and that collects agricultural work data when the agricultural machine performs the agricultural work, a server that stores the agricultural data, and a mobile terminal that can communicate with the server. The mobile terminal has creation means that can create work details that include at least the field and the agricultural machine, and a communication unit that transmits the work details created by the creation means to the server.

[0004] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-68453 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-37681

[0005] When agricultural machinery is used to grow crops in a specific area, it is common for the machinery to be rented (shared). However, when a farmer wants to use agricultural machinery to perform farm work, there may be cases where the machinery cannot be used because no machinery is available for rent, which may delay the execution of the farm work and adversely affect the growth of the crops. The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 can permit or deny the rental of a farm machine based on information regarding the manufacture or sale of the machine, but does not take into account the machine's usage status and therefore cannot manage the rental of agricultural machinery. Furthermore, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, which manages data on farm work performed using agricultural machinery, cannot manage the rental of agricultural machinery.

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to smoothly carry out agricultural work that is optimal for growing crops without being restricted as much as possible by the number of agricultural machines.

[0007] The technical means of the present invention for solving this technical problem is characterized by the following: An agricultural support system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a data storage unit that stores data related to agriculture in a field where crops can be planted, a growth prediction unit that predicts the growth status of the crop based on the data stored in the data storage unit, a plan creation unit that creates a plan for agricultural work when cultivating the crop based on the growth status of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit, a machine storage unit that stores information about a plurality of agricultural machines to be used in the agricultural work, a machine request unit that selects a machine to be used that is the agricultural machine to be used in the agricultural work and a borrowing time for the machine to be used from the information about the plurality of agricultural machines stored in the machine storage unit, and an adjustment unit that adjusts the borrowing time of the machine to be used if the machine to be used requested by the machine request unit cannot be rented out for the borrowing time.

[0008] In one aspect of the present invention, the data storage unit stores as the data at least one of meteorological information for the field, fertilization information when fertilizer is sprayed on the field, soil information for the field, crop harvest information, and crop growth information, and the growth prediction unit predicts the growth of the crop based on any of the meteorological information, fertilization information, soil information, harvest information, and growth information.

[0009] In one aspect of the present invention, the plan creation unit creates a plan for agricultural work during cultivation of the crop in accordance with the growth of the crop predicted by the growth prediction unit.

[0010] In one aspect of the present invention, the machine memory unit is provided in a management device to which an external terminal can be connected, and the machine request unit is provided in the external terminal and requests the machine to be used and the borrowed time from the management device.

[0011] In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, if the number of machines to be used during the borrowing time is greater than the number of agricultural machines stored in the machine memory unit, the adjustment unit determines that the machines to be used cannot be rented out during the borrowing time.

[0012] In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, if the adjustment unit determines that the machine to be used cannot be rented out for the borrowed time, it changes the requested borrowed time within the agricultural work period indicated in the agricultural work plan.

[0013] In one aspect of the present invention, the adjustment unit notifies an external terminal of the change in the borrowing time.

[0014] In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, if the adjustment unit determines that the machine to be used cannot be rented out during the borrowed time, it adjusts the agricultural work plan within the agricultural work period indicated in the agricultural work plan to change the borrowed time to a rest time and change another rest time indicated in the agricultural work plan to a working time for performing the agricultural work.

[0015] In one aspect of the present invention, the plan creation unit notifies an external terminal of the farm work plan, and the adjustment unit notifies the external terminal of changes to the farm work plan.

[0016] In one aspect of the present invention, if the adjustment unit determines that the machine to be used cannot be rented out during the borrowing time, it changes the machine to another agricultural machine of a different model that can be rented out.

[0017] In one aspect of the present invention, the adjustment unit notifies the user of a change in the machine being used.

[0018] Furthermore, in one aspect of the present invention, the machine memory unit is provided in a management device to which an external terminal can be connected, and the management device accepts information regarding agricultural machinery that can be rented from the external terminal and stores the information in the machine memory unit.

[0019] According to the present invention, agricultural work that is optimal for growing crops can be carried out smoothly without being restricted as much as possible by the number of agricultural machines.

[0020] 1 is a schematic diagram of an agricultural support system. FIG. 1 is an image diagram of various agricultural data and agricultural machinery sharing. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between growth status (plant height) and tillage. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between growth status (plant height) and puddling. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between growth status (plant height) and basal fertilizer. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between growth status (plant height) and rice transplanting. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between growth status (plant height) and pesticide spraying. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between growth status (amount of white rice) and harvest cloth. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an agricultural work plan. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a registration screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of registered information. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a confirmation screen for the sharing status of agricultural machinery. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a confirmation screen for the sharing status after changing the borrowing time of agricultural machinery.

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] The agricultural support system 100 of this embodiment is a system that supports agriculture for growing crops in a specified area. As shown in FIG. 1 , the agricultural support system 100 includes a management device 10 and an external terminal 20. The management device 10 is a server or the like for managing agriculture. The external terminal 20 is a terminal device such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet terminal that can be operated by a farmworker who performs agricultural work or a manager who oversees agricultural work. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , three external terminals 20 are provided, but at least one external terminal 20 is provided depending on the number of farmworkers, etc. The external terminal 20 communicates with the management device 10, for example, via a wide area communication network such as the Internet.

[0023] <Overview of Field Data> The management device 10 has a data storage unit 11. The data storage unit 11 is composed of a non-volatile memory or the like, and stores various data related to agriculture. For example, the data storage unit 11 stores data related to fields where crops can be cultivated.

[0024] The data storage unit 11 stores at least one of the following items shown in Figure 2: weather information F1 for field H1, fertilization information F2 when fertilization was performed in field H1, soil information F3 for field H1, harvest information F4 for crops grown in field H1, and current growth information F5 for crops in field H1.

[0025] The weather information F1 includes information such as wind direction, wind speed, temperature, humidity, weather (sunny, cloudy, rain, thunder, snow), rainfall amount, snowfall amount, precipitation probability, atmospheric pressure, or atmospheric pressure distribution in or around the field, as well as information that changes depending on the date and time of observation. By connecting to a server installed at the Japan Meteorological Agency that manages weather information or a weather information provider, the management device 10 can acquire weather information stored on the server and store the weather information in the data storage unit 11. The weather information includes the actual wind direction, wind speed, temperature, humidity, weather (sunny, cloudy, rain, thunder, snow), rainfall amount, snowfall amount, precipitation probability, atmospheric pressure, or atmospheric pressure distribution in or around the field.

[0026] In addition, the management device 10 may obtain predicted weather information for the short term, such as a few minutes, tens of minutes, or a few hours from the present time, or predicted weather information for the medium or long term, such as a few days, weeks, or months from now, from the server and store it in the data storage unit 11.

[0027] The fertilization information F2 includes the amount of fertilizer applied at a predetermined position when the spray agent is applied to the field by a sprayer, etc. By connecting to the sprayer or a computer that manages the spraying, the management device 10 can acquire fertilization information from the computer and store the fertilization information in the data storage unit 11.

[0028] The soil information F3 includes information indicating the components (chemical components) and hardness of the soil of the field H1. The soil information F3 may be information obtained by collecting soil with a soil sampler and performing chemical analysis on the collected soil, or by sensing the field H1 with an artificial satellite, an unmanned aerial vehicle, or the like and analyzing the spectral data obtained during sensing. The management device 10 can acquire soil information from a server that provides data obtained by chemically analyzing the soil of the field H1 or a server that provides sensing data of the field H1 by connecting to the server, and can store the soil information in the data storage unit 11.

[0029] The harvest information F4 includes the harvest yield at a predetermined position when the crop is harvested by a harvester such as a combine harvester, the harvest date and time, etc. By connecting to the harvester or a computer that manages the harvest, the management device 10 can acquire harvest information from the harvesting period or computer and store the harvest information in the data storage unit 11. Note that before the crop is harvested, sensing of the field H1 may be performed by an artificial satellite or an unmanned aerial vehicle, etc., and the harvest yield may be estimated by analyzing the spectral data obtained during the sensing, and the results may be included in the harvest information F4.

[0030] The growth information F5 includes information indicating the growth status of the crops obtained by analyzing spectral data obtained by sensing the field H1 after planting the crops using an artificial satellite, an unmanned aerial vehicle, etc. The growth information F5 also includes information obtained by analyzing images of the crops taken from above the field using vegetation indices such as DVI, RVI, NDVI, GNDVI, SAVI, TSAVI, CAI, MTCI, REP, PRI, or RSI.

[0031] <Growth Prediction> As shown in Fig. 1, the management device 10 includes a growth prediction unit 12. The growth prediction unit 12 is configured from an electric / electronic circuit, a program, or the like provided in the management device 10. The growth prediction unit 12 predicts the growth (growth status) of the crop based on the data stored in the data storage unit 11. Note that the crop growth (growth status) predicted by the growth prediction unit 12 includes, for example, the height of the crop, the size of the stems, leaves, and fruit of the crop, the color of the stems, leaves, and fruit of the crop, the disease status of the crop, the deterioration status of the crop due to pests, the degree of lodging of the crop, etc.

[0032] The growth prediction unit 12 has various growth models according to the growth condition of the crop to be predicted. For example, by applying the current growth information F5 and meteorological information F1 to a predetermined growth model, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts the change in the height of the crop, the color of the stems, leaves, and fruit of the crop, the state of disease in the crop, the state of deterioration of the crop due to pests, and the like as the growth (growth condition) of the crop. Alternatively, by applying the fertilization information F2 and harvest information F4, which are past fertilization results, to the growth model, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts the size of the stems, leaves, and fruit of the crop, the degree of lodging, and the like as the growth (growth condition) of the crop.

[0033] Furthermore, taking into account the uncertainty of weather fluctuations, the weather information F1 may include a large number of weather scenarios generated based on probabilistic seasonal forecasts, and the weather information F1 may be applied to a growth model to allow the growth prediction unit 12 to predict crop growth. Furthermore, the weather information F1 may be updated daily based on actual weather observation results, and the crop growth prediction by the growth prediction unit 12 may also be updated daily based on the weather information F1.

[0034] The crop growth prediction by the growth prediction unit 12 is a probabilistic prediction. For this reason, the growth prediction unit 12 may probabilistically predict growth events such as the dates of flowering and ripening of crops, and may also probabilistically calculate the reliability of the predictions and notify farmers or the like.

[0035] The prediction by the growth prediction unit 12 described above is an example and is not limiting. For example, the weather information F1, fertilization information F2, soil information F3, harvest information F4, or growth information F5 may be input to a computer that predicts crop growth, and the computer may perform deep learning to construct a trained model using artificial intelligence, and the trained model may be used to predict crop growth (growth status).

[0036] <Planning Unit> As shown in Fig. 1, the management device 10 includes a planning unit 13. The planning unit 13 is configured from an electric / electronic circuit, a program, or the like provided in the management device 10. The planning unit 13 creates a plan for agricultural work when cultivating crops based on the crop growth (growth status) predicted by the growth prediction unit 12. The planning unit 13 creates work details for agricultural work when cultivating crops in accordance with the growth predicted by the growth prediction unit 12. The work details include bed soil preparation, ridge filling, plowing, sowing, rice planting, plowing, furrow cutting, weeding (pesticide spraying, grass cutting), top dressing, harvesting, etc.

[0037] 3A to 3F show examples of growth (growth conditions) predicted by the growth prediction unit 12. As growth conditions, Fig. 3A to 3E show the plant height (vegetation index) of the crop as an example, and Fig. 3F shows the amount of white rice contained in the harvested rice as an example, but the growth conditions are not limited to these.

[0038] 3A, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts a change in grass height W1 when plowing is performed from April 10 to April 19, a change in grass height W2 when plowing is performed from March 29 to April 10, and a change in grass height W3 when plowing is performed after April 20. In this case, the plan creation unit 13 selects, for example, change W1, in which the grass height is the longest, as the best change in grass height (pattern), and sets plowing to be performed during the period from April 10 to April 19, which corresponds to change W1.

[0039] 3B, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts a change in plant height W4 when plowing is performed from April 10 to April 19, and a change in plant height W5 when plowing is not performed. In this case, the plan creation unit 13 selects change W4 as the best change in plant height, and sets plowing to be performed from April 20 to April 30, which corresponds to change W4.

[0040] 3C, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts a plant height transition W6 when basal fertilizer (fertilizer application) is performed during the period from April 25 to May 5, and a plant height transition W7 when basal fertilizer (fertilizer application) is not performed. In this case, the plan creation unit 13 selects transition W6 as the best plant height transition and sets the period from April 25 to May 5 corresponding to transition W6 to perform basal fertilizer (fertilizer application).

[0041] 3D , the growth prediction unit 12 predicts a change in plant height W8 when rice planting is performed from May 1 to May 9, a change in plant height W9 when tilling is performed from May 10 to May 19, and a change in plant height W10 when tilling is performed after May 20. In this case, the plan creation unit 13 selects the change W8 as the best change in plant height, and sets rice planting to be performed in the period from May 1 to May 9 corresponding to the change W8.

[0042] 3E, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts the following: a change in plant height W11 when pesticides are sprayed from June 15 to June 30, a change in plant height W12 when tilling is performed from July 1 to July 9, and a change in plant height W13 when tilling is performed after July 10. In this case, the plan creation unit 13 selects the change W11 as the best change in plant height and sets pesticide spraying to be performed in the period from June 15 to June 30, which corresponds to the change W11.

[0043] In the above example, the plan creation unit 13 selects the transition in which the plant height has grown the longest as the best transition in plant height, but this is not limiting. For example, the plan creation unit 13 may select another transition in plant height, such as a transition in which the plant height has grown the least or a transition in which the plant height has grown a predetermined length, as the best transition in plant height.

[0044] 3F, the growth prediction unit 12 predicts a transition W14 of the amount of shirata rice when harvesting is performed from September 1 to September 15, a transition W15 of the amount of shirata rice when harvesting is performed from September 16 to October 10, and a transition W16 of the amount of shirata rice when harvesting is performed after October 11. In this case, the plan creation unit 13 selects the transition W15, which shows the smallest amount of shirata rice, as the best pattern and sets harvesting to occur in the period from September 16 to October 10, which corresponds to the transition W15.

[0045] Figure 4 shows an example of an agricultural work plan created by the plan creation unit 13. The plan creation unit 13 selects the optimal time to perform the agricultural work based on the crop growth conditions predicted by the growth prediction unit 12, and creates an agricultural work plan for carrying out the agricultural work as shown in Figure 4. Plan information indicating the agricultural work plan created by the plan creation unit 13 is stored in the data storage unit 11 or other storage unit provided in the management device 10. Furthermore, when a farmer or manager performs a predetermined operation on the external terminal 20, the external terminal 20 obtains the plan information from the management device 10 and displays the agricultural work plan on the display unit 21 based on the plan information.

[0046] <Sharing> <Registration of agricultural machinery, etc.> The agricultural support system 100 supports the sharing of agricultural machinery used in agricultural work, such as a tractor 31, a rice transplanter 32, and a combine harvester 33 (see FIG. 2 ). The management device 10 receives information about agricultural machinery that can be rented, thereby registering multiple agricultural machines that can be rented, and supports the sharing of agricultural machinery that is needed when farmworkers in a specified area perform farm work.

[0047] For example, the management device 10 includes a registration unit 14 and a machine memory unit 15. The registration unit 14 is configured from an electric / electronic circuit, a program, or the like provided in the management device 10. The registration unit 14 registers information about agricultural machines, etc. used in agricultural work, in the management device 10. The machine memory unit 15 is configured from a non-volatile memory and stores information about a plurality of agricultural machines.

[0048] When an external terminal 20 such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or personal computer is connected to the management device 10 and a predetermined operation is performed on the external terminal 20, the registration unit 14 displays a screen (registration screen) M1 for registering an agricultural machine and its owner on the external terminal 20, as shown in Fig. 5. On the registration screen M1, it is possible to input information about the owner of the agricultural machine (e.g., name, address, email address, telephone number, etc.) and agricultural machine information about the agricultural machine (e.g., type of agricultural machine (tractor, combine, rice transplanter, spreader, mower, etc.), manufacturer, model number, and exterior photo of the agricultural machine, etc.).

[0049] The farm worker performs a predetermined operation on the external terminal 20 to input owner information and agricultural machinery information into predetermined input fields on the registration screen M1, and then confirms the input content (by selecting the "OK" key on the registration screen M1). The registration unit 14 then associates the owner information and machinery information input on the registration screen M1 with each other, and stores (registers) them in the machine storage unit 15. By repeatedly executing this information registration procedure, registration information including multiple pieces of agricultural machinery information and the owner information associated with each piece of agricultural machinery information, as shown in Figure 6, is stored as a database in the machine storage unit 15.

[0050] In the registration screen M1 of Figure 5, a specific area where agriculture is carried out (city, town, village, association, etc.) may be considered as a community, and only farmers belonging to that community may be allowed to register agricultural machinery information and owner information, or any farmer may be allowed to register agricultural machinery information and owner information regardless of the community.

[0051] <Request for agricultural machinery> The external terminal 20 (Fig. 1) is equipped with a display unit 21 and a machine request unit 22. The display unit 21 is capable of displaying various information and is composed of an LCD panel, organic EL, or the like. As shown in Fig. 4, the display unit 21 can display the agricultural work plan (agricultural work plan) created by the plan creation unit 13. The farmer refers to the agricultural work plan to decide the agricultural machinery to be used in the field H1 and the date and time when the agricultural machinery will be used. Then, if the number of agricultural machinery required for the farm work is insufficient, or if the farmer does not own the agricultural machinery required for the farm work, the farmer operates the external terminal 20 to make a request to borrow (borrow) the agricultural machinery from the management device 10.

[0052] The machine request unit 22 is configured with an electric / electronic circuit or a program, etc., provided in the external terminal 20. The machine request unit 22 requests a machine to be used, which is an agricultural machine to be used when performing agricultural work, from among the multiple agricultural machines stored in the machine memory unit 15 of the management device 10, and the borrowing time (desired borrowing date) of the machine to be used.

[0053] For example, when a farm worker or the like who wishes to rent an agricultural machine performs a predetermined operation on the external terminal 20, the machine request unit 22 displays the input screen M2 shown in FIG. 7 on the display unit 21. The input screen M2 is a screen on which the farm worker or the like inputs rental information for renting a machine to be used, which is an agricultural machine that the farm worker or the like wishes to use in farm work. The rental information includes personal information Q1 and desired information Q2. The personal information Q1 includes the name, address, email address, and telephone number of the farm worker or the like. The desired information Q2 includes the type of machine to be used, the number of machines, and the rental time. Input fields for inputting this information are provided on the input screen M2. Of these, the input field for rental time allows the user to input any of the time, time zone, date, and period for which the farm worker or the like wishes to rent the agricultural machine. Note that the debit information is not limited to the information described above.

[0054] The farmer performs a predetermined operation on the external terminal 20 to input personal information Q1 and desired information Q2 into the input screen M2, and then confirms the input contents (by selecting the "OK" key on the input screen M2). The machine request unit 22 then transmits the personal information Q1 and desired information Q2 input on the input screen M2 to the management device 10.

[0055] It is preferable that the above-mentioned request to borrow a machine to be used via the external terminal 20 can only be made a predetermined time (for example, one week) before the time when the machine is desired to be borrowed. Furthermore, a deadline for making a request to borrow a machine to be used may be set for each agricultural work indicated in the agricultural work plan created by the plan creation unit 13 of the management device 10, thereby restricting borrowing requests via the external terminal 20.

[0056] <Adjustment Unit> The management device 10 is equipped with an adjustment unit 18. The adjustment unit 18 is configured from an electric / electronic circuit, a program, or the like provided in the management device 10. When the management device 10 receives a borrowing request for a machine to be used transmitted from the machine request unit 22 of the external terminal 20, the adjustment unit 18 stores the borrowing request in the machine memory unit 15 and organizes the sharing status of the agricultural machinery based on the borrowing request. In addition, the adjustment unit 18 stores sharing information indicating the organized sharing status of the agricultural machinery in the data memory unit 11 or another memory unit provided in the management device 10.

[0057] Thereafter, when a farm worker or the like performs a predetermined operation on the external terminal 20, the external terminal 20 acquires (receives) from the management device 10 sharing information indicating the sharing status of the agricultural machinery organized by the adjustment unit 18. Then, based on the sharing information, the external terminal 20 causes the display unit 21 to display a confirmation screen M3 indicating the sharing status of the agricultural machinery as shown in Fig. 8.

[0058] The confirmation screen M3 displays the agricultural machinery stored (registered) in the machine storage unit 15 of the management device 10, i.e., the types and number of agricultural machinery owned by the community. The confirmation screen M3 also displays the borrowing status of the agricultural machinery for which borrowing requests have been made during a specified period (a list showing the number of tractors desired to be borrowed by date and by each applicant). Specifically, in the example shown in Fig. 8, the number of tractors desired to be borrowed for the tilling period (4 / 10 to 4 / 19) in the farm work plan created by the plan creation unit 13 of the management device 10 is displayed as a list by date and for each farmworker A to G.

[0059] When a predetermined operation is performed on the external terminal 20 to select one of the numbers on the confirmation screen M3 indicating the desired number of machines to be borrowed, the debit information corresponding to that number (personal information Q1 and desired information Q2 in FIG. 6) is displayed on the display unit 21. At this time, a screen showing only the debit information column of the input screen M2 as shown in FIG. 6 may be displayed on the display unit 21. This makes it possible to view the personal information Q1 of the person wishing to borrow the machine to be used corresponding to the selected number and the desired borrowing information Q2 including the borrowing time on the display unit 21.

[0060] When the machine requested to be borrowed cannot be rented out during the borrowing time, the adjustment unit 18 adjusts at least one of the machine to be used, the borrowing time, and the farm work plan.

[0061] In the example shown in Figure 8, the community owns 10 tractors, but the total number of tractors desired to be borrowed exceeds the number of tractors owned during the periods when tillage work is to be performed: 4 / 12, 4 / 14, and 4 / 16. In such a case, the adjustment unit 18 determines that some of the machines to be used cannot be lent out during the borrowing times (desired borrowing dates) of 4 / 12, 4 / 14, and 4 / 16, because the number of machines desired to be borrowed exceeds the number of machines owned and available for lending.

[0062] As described above, if the adjustment unit 18 determines that some of the machines to be used cannot be rented out during the borrowing times of 4 / 12, 4 / 14, and 4 / 16, it changes the borrowing times of some of the machines to be used during the tillage work period (4 / 10 to 4 / 19) indicated in the farm work plan. Specifically, the adjustment unit 18 first focuses on the total number of machines to be used that are requested to be borrowed for each day of the tillage work period. The adjustment unit 18 then changes the borrowing times of some of the machines to be used by shifting the number of machines requested to be borrowed for some of the machines to days on which the total number of machines requested to be borrowed is greater than the number of machines owned, to days on which the total number of machines requested to be borrowed is less than the number of machines owned.

[0063] Specifically, for example, the adjustment unit 18 changes the borrowing times of three tractors that farmer A wishes to borrow on 4 / 16 as shown in Fig. 8 by rescheduling them to 4 / 15 as shown in Fig. 9. Also, the adjustment unit 18 changes the borrowing time of one tractor that farmer B wishes to borrow on 4 / 12 as shown in Fig. 8 by rescheduling them to 4 / 13 as shown in Fig. 9. Furthermore, the adjustment unit 18 changes the borrowing times of two tractors that farmer E wishes to borrow on 4 / 14 as shown in Fig. 8 by rescheduling them to 4 / 15 as shown in Fig. 9.

[0064] When the adjustment unit 18 changes the borrowing time of the agricultural machine in use as described above, it stores sharing information indicating the sharing status reflecting the change in the data storage unit 11 of the management device 10 or in another storage unit. After that, when a farm worker or the like performs a predetermined operation on the external terminal 20, the external terminal 20 acquires the sharing information from the management device 10 and, based on the sharing information, displays on the display unit 21 a confirmation screen M3 indicating the sharing status after the change in the borrowing time of the agricultural machine, as shown in Figure 9.

[0065] Furthermore, when the adjustment unit 18 changes the borrowing time of the machine in use as described above, it notifies the person (such as a farm worker) who wishes to borrow the machine in use of the change. In detail, for example, the adjustment unit 18 notifies (sends) borrowing change information indicating the change in the borrowing time of the machine in use to the external terminal 20 owned by the borrowing person, the external terminal 20 operated by the borrowing person who wishes to borrow the machine whose borrowing time has been changed when making the borrowing request (the external terminal 20 that sent the borrowing request), or the email address of the borrowing person (see Figure 5).

[0066] Specifically, in the examples shown in Figures 8 and 9, the adjustment unit 18 notifies the external terminal 20 owned by farmer A of borrowing change information indicating that the desired borrowing date for three machines in use on 4 / 16 has been changed to 4 / 15. The adjustment unit 18 also notifies the external terminal 20 owned by farmer B of borrowing change information indicating that the desired borrowing date for one machine in use on 4 / 12 has been changed to 4 / 13. The adjustment unit 18 also notifies the external terminal 20 owned by farmer E of borrowing change information indicating that the desired borrowing date for two machines in use on 4 / 14 has been changed to 4 / 15. The borrowing change information may include information indicating the reason for the change in the borrowing time.

[0067] When the external terminal 20 or the like receives the borrowing change information from the management device 10, it displays the contents of the borrowing change information on the display unit 21. As a result, the borrower is notified of the changes to the borrowing time of the machine being used.

[0068] In addition to the above-mentioned borrowing change information, sharing information indicating the sharing status of the agricultural machine after the borrowing time has been changed may be transmitted from the management device 10 to the external terminal 20 or the like owned by the borrower. Then, the external terminal 20 or the like that has received the sharing information may display on the display unit 21, based on the sharing information, a confirmation screen M3 indicating the sharing status of the agricultural machine after the borrowing time has been changed, as shown in Fig. 9.

[0069] In the above-described embodiment, when the adjustment unit 18 determines that the machine to be used cannot be rented out at the borrowing time, it changes the borrowing time (desired borrowing date) of the machine to be used. However, instead of this, the adjustment unit 18 may change the working time (working day or working time) when the agricultural work is performed or the non-working time (non-working day or rendezvous time) when the agricultural work is not performed within the working period of the agricultural work indicated in the agricultural work plan (Figure 6) created by the plan creation unit 13.

[0070] For example, in a sharing situation such as that shown in Figure 8, the adjustment unit 18 adjusts the agricultural work plan so that 4 / 12, 4 / 14, and 4 / 16, which are the borrowing times of the machines used, are designated as non-working times (non-working days) when agricultural work is not performed, and the other days are changed to working times (working days) when agricultural work is performed, and stores the changes in the data storage unit 11 or other storage unit provided in the management device 10. The adjustment unit 18 then notifies the agricultural worker, etc. of the changes to the agricultural work plan via the external terminal 20, etc. By notifying the farm worker in this way, it is possible to encourage the farm worker to change the times when the agricultural work is performed and the borrowing times of the machines used.

[0071] Furthermore, if the adjustment unit 18 determines that the machine to be used cannot be rented during the borrowed time, the requested machine may be changed to another agricultural machine of a different model that is available for rent. For example, if the adjustment unit 18 determines that the requested machine to be used is a large tractor and that the large tractor cannot be rented during the borrowed time in the organized sharing situation, the adjustment unit 18 adjusts the machine to be used so that it is changed to a medium-sized tractor that is available for rent during the borrowed time. The adjustment unit 18 then stores the changes to the machine to be used in the data storage unit 11 or another storage unit provided in the management device 10, and notifies the farmworker, etc., of the changes to the machine to be used via the external terminal 20, etc. Such notification can prevent the agricultural machine from being unable to be used for farm work during the borrowed time.

[0072] 8 and other related screens, the farmworkers A to G or the manager may be able to change the machine in use or the borrowed time by performing a predetermined operation on the external terminal 20. In this case, when the management device 10 acquires, from the external terminal 20, borrowing change information indicating the changes to the machine in use or the borrowed time made on the external terminal 20, the adjustment unit 18 updates the sharing information indicating the sharing status of the agricultural machinery based on the borrowing change information, and stores the updated sharing information in the data storage unit 11 or another storage unit provided in the management device 10.

[0073] The agricultural support system 100 of this embodiment described above has the following configuration and effects: The agricultural support system 100 of this embodiment includes a data storage unit 11 that stores data related to agriculture in a field where crops can be planted, a growth prediction unit 12 that predicts the growth status of the crops based on the data stored in the data storage unit 11, a plan creation unit 13 that creates a farm work plan for cultivating the crops based on the crop growth status predicted by the growth prediction unit 12, a machine storage unit 15 that stores information on a plurality of agricultural machines to be used in the farm work, a machine request unit 22 that selects a machine to be used in the farm work from the plurality of agricultural machines stored in the machine storage unit 15 and requests the borrowing time of the machine to be used, and an adjustment unit 18 that adjusts the borrowing time of the machine to be used if the machine to be used requested by the machine request unit 22 cannot be rented out for the borrowing time.

[0074] According to the above configuration, the growth prediction unit 12 can predict crop growth, and the plan creation unit 13 can create a farm work plan based on the predicted crop growth. Furthermore, according to the created farm work plan, agricultural workers can rent agricultural machinery (machines to be used) and perform the farm work. Furthermore, if there are many agricultural machines (machines to be used) that wish to be rented compared to the number of agricultural machines available for rent, and the agricultural machine (machines to be used) cannot be rented at the desired rental time, the rental time can be adjusted, and the farm work can be performed smoothly and without delay using the agricultural machine (machines to be used) at the adjusted rental time. In other words, farm work that is optimal for crop growth can be performed smoothly without being restricted as much as possible by the number of agricultural machines.

[0075] In this embodiment, the data storage unit 11 stores at least one of the following data: meteorological information for the field, fertilization information when fertilizer is applied to the field, soil information for the field, crop harvest information, and crop growth information. The growth prediction unit 12 predicts crop growth based on the meteorological information, fertilization information, soil information, harvest information, or growth information. This allows crop growth to be easily predicted. Furthermore, crop growth can be predicted based on the meteorological information in accordance with seasonal forecasts that change from year to year and actual weather fluctuations. Based on the crop growth prediction, farm work plans can be appropriately created and requests for borrowing agricultural machinery can be made efficiently. In particular, this allows for more accurate farm work plans and more efficient borrowing of agricultural machinery than when crop growth predictions are based on a fixed crop growth calendar or a fixed, average weather scenario.

[0076] In addition, in this embodiment, the plan creation unit 13 creates a plan for agricultural work during crop cultivation in accordance with the crop growth predicted by the growth prediction unit 12. This makes it possible to easily create agricultural work that is optimal for growth.

[0077] In this embodiment, the machine memory unit 15 is provided in the management device 10 to which an external terminal 20 can be connected, and the machine request unit 22 is provided in the external terminal 20 and requests the machine to be used and the borrowed time from the management device 10. This allows a farm worker, manager, or the like to request the machine to be used and the borrowed time using the external terminal 20 they carry.

[0078] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the adjustment unit 18 determines that the machines in use cannot be rented out during the borrowed time if the number of machines in use during the borrowed time is greater than the number of agricultural machines stored in the machine memory unit 15. For example, in a case where a community is established to carry out agricultural work in a specified area, if the number of machines in use exceeds the agricultural machines owned by the community (the agricultural machines stored in the machine memory unit 15), the machines cannot be rented out, thereby enabling the smooth operation of the community.

[0079] In this embodiment, if the adjustment unit 18 determines that the machine cannot be rented for the borrowed time, the adjustment unit 18 changes the requested borrowing time within the agricultural work period indicated in the agricultural work plan. This allows the agricultural work to be carried out smoothly using the machine within the agricultural work period that is optimal for growth.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the adjustment unit 18 notifies the external terminal 20 of the change in the borrowed time. This allows the farm worker to easily understand that he or she can use the agricultural machine for a different borrowed time.

[0081] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the adjustment unit 18 determines that the machine in use cannot be rented out during the borrowed time, it adjusts the agricultural work plan within the agricultural work period indicated in the agricultural work plan to change the borrowed time to a non-working time during which agricultural work is not performed, and change another non-working time indicated in the agricultural work plan to a working time during which agricultural work is performed. This allows agricultural work to be performed smoothly and without interruption using the agricultural machine (the machine in use) during the changed working time. In other words, agricultural work that is optimal for crop growth can be performed smoothly without being restricted as much as possible by the number of agricultural machines.

[0082] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the plan creation unit 13 notifies the external terminal 20 of the agricultural work plan, and the adjustment unit 18 notifies the external terminal 20 of changes to the agricultural work plan. This allows agricultural workers to easily and optimally cultivate crops based on the agricultural work plan created by the plan creation unit 13. Furthermore, agricultural workers can easily understand that they can perform agricultural work using the machinery they are using during the changed work hours.

[0083] In this embodiment, if the adjustment unit 18 determines that the machine to be used cannot be rented out during the borrowed time, it changes the machine to another agricultural machine of a different model that is available for rent. This allows agricultural work to be carried out smoothly using the changed agricultural machine. In other words, agricultural work that is optimal for crop growth can be carried out smoothly without being restricted as much as possible by the number of agricultural machines.

[0084] In this embodiment, the adjustment unit 18 also notifies the farmworker of the change in the machine in use, allowing the farmworker to easily understand that the farmwork can be performed using the changed machine in use.

[0085] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the machine memory unit 15 is provided in the management device 10 to which the external terminal 20 can be connected, and the management device 10 receives information about agricultural machines that can be rented from the external terminal 20 and stores the information in the machine memory unit 15. This allows farmers who own agricultural machines to easily store agricultural machines that can be rented out in the machine memory unit 15 of the management device 10 using the external terminal 20.

[0086] 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 defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0087] 10: Management device 11: Data storage unit 12: Growth prediction unit 13: Plan creation unit 14: Registration unit 15: Machine storage unit 18: Adjustment unit 20: External terminal 21: Display unit 22: Machine request unit 31: Tractor (agricultural machine) 32: Rice transplanter (agricultural machine) 33: Combine (agricultural machine) F1: Weather information F2: Fertilization information F3: Soil information F4: Harvest information F5: Growth information H1: Field

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