Efficient Harvesting of Saffron Using Integer Programming

Kheybari, Siamak; Bokaeyan, Amir; Naji Nasrabadi Yazd, Seyed Ali

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Management, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran

² Department of Applied Mathematics, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Among various products available in agriculture, saffron plays a major role in contributing to Iran's gross domestic product and per capita income growth. Due to shortage of workforce and short duration of harvesting, areas under cultivation of saffron in Iran will be declining in coming years. Thus, proper planning for optimum use of workforce is one of the most important techniques to access efficient harvesting. In this regard, an integer programming model is proposed to solve the problem in this paper. Number of working shift and working hours in each shift are among decision variables in the proposed model, which satisfy the objective function, i.e. minimizing the total cost of workforce, with constrains including number of working hours in each shift, speed of workforce, number of fields that should be harvested in each day and relationship between working hours of each worker and the cost allocated. To evaluate the proposed model, we employ the data collected from fields located in different areas of Qaen, South Khorasan province, Iran. By comparing the output of the proposed model to the real situation, the ability of the model is confirmed. Finally, concluding remarks and suggestions for future research are provided.

Graphical Abstract

Highlights

The work force scheduling problem for efficient harvesting of saffron is investigated in this research
We propose a mixed integer programming (MIP) model to solve the workforce planning problem
The proposed model is evaluated by using a real data collected from Qaen, South Khorasan, Iran
Comparing the result with real situation indicates the performance of the proposed model

Keywords

20.1001.1.21595852.2020.10.3.8.7

Main Subjects

Strategic planning

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International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development

Efficient Harvesting of Saffron Using Integer Programming

References

References

Volume 10, Issue 3
September 2020
Pages 307-321

Efficient Harvesting of Saffron Using Integer Programming

References

References

Volume 10, Issue 3September 2020Pages 307-321

Volume 10, Issue 3
September 2020
Pages 307-321