Sustaining and improving the performance of agricultural systems is essential to support a growing global population in the face of a changing and variable climate. Data, computational methods and quantitative models are the foundation of the science underpinning sustainable agricultural systems. Founded in 2010 by a group of US and international agricultural modelers, the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Program (AgMIP) has grown to encompass a global community of scientists working to improve agricultural systems data and models and to advance their use to support decision making from farm to national to global scales. More recently, AgMIP has begun mobilizing climate, agriculture, economics and trade, health and nutrition, security, and humanitarian aid expertise to advance next-generation tools and decision support systems to address current and future challenges to food systems that deliver reliable and nutritious foods.
This charter provides the basis by which the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Program operates and establishes standards and protocols for agricultural and food systems modeling. This includes ways to initiate new activities and develop regional partnerships. The goal is to incorporate key drivers affecting food security so as to improve coordinated global and regional assessments. AgMIP also addresses the requirements for innovative agricultural models of the future – including improved simulation of agricultural systems and adaptations important to sustainable food systems in both developed and developing regions.
