Research Article
Fuzzy Multicriteria Decision-Making for Ranking Intercrop in
Rubber Plantations under Social, Economic, and
Environmental Criteria
JitsupaMuangman,
1
KittipongKrootsong,
1
PhattamonPolrong,
1
WeeraYukunthorn ,
2
and Weerawat Udomsap
3
1
Faculty of Management Sciences, Phuket Rajabhat University, Phuket 83000, ailand
2
Faculty of Science and Technology, Kanchanaburi Rajabhat University, Kanchanaburi 71190, ailand
3
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kanchanaburi Rajabhat University, Kanchanaburi 71190, ailand
Correspondence should be addressed to Weera Yukunthorn; w.yukunthorn@kru.ac.th
Received 10 December 2019; Accepted 16 April 2020; Published 8 May 2020
Academic Editor: Zeki Ayag
Copyright © 2020 Jitsupa Muangman et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
Rubber price instability causes great economic problems for rubber plantation in ailand. Intercropping is an alternative
way for rubber farmers in problem-solving. In this paper, we established decision-making system for plant selection in rubber
fields under social, economic, and environment criteria with the use of fuzzy multicriteria decision-making (FMCDM) to
rank plant options. Firstly, we modified the traditional FMCDM by defuzzification with norm centroid and developed the
fuzzifier maps the norm centroid to triangular fuzzy number (TFN). According to fuzzification, the final rating evaluation of
plant options are determined by total utility values. Finally, ranking of the plant options is obtained. Our modifications
provided an alternative decision-making process with softer computational capability compared with the traditional method.
In addition to soft computing, data visualization and analysis of the possibility in each factors could be investigated. is
decision-making system was implemented in Phang-Nga Province, ailand. Its outputs assisted the rubber farmer in
selecting suitable plants for cultivation. Pros and cons of each plant options and area-based approaches were easily seen by
data visualizations. is decision-making system provided beneficial information which support precision developments for
rubber farmer and government agencies.
1.Introduction
Rubber is one of the major crops cultivated in south of
ailand, and this is region possessed the largest area of rubber
plantation [1]. Recently, fluctuation of rubber price affects
farmer’s livelihoods. Intercropping of rubber tree plantations
has been a strategy for earning higher incomes from the rubber
crop [2]. e challenge of rubber intercropping in the 21
st
century is analysed considering not only physical environ-
ments but also socioeconomic and environments. So, plant
selection under suitable area-based plantation conditions will
be sustainable for rubber farming [3].
e suitable plantation conditions could be deter-
mined by several criteria under social, economic, and
environmental factors. MCDM is a mathematical tool with
capability in importing both of qualitative and quantitative
data. In addition, it is a powerful method for solving the
complex decision problems. Applications of MCDM could
be found in various fields such as business and manage-
ment, economics, education, and agriculture [4–7]. Pre-
viously, MCDM had been applied on selecting intercrops
in the rubber field under geographic criteria and economic
criteria in Phitsanulok province, ailand. ey compared
the use of analytical hierarchy process (AHP), the
Hindawi
Advances in Fuzzy Systems
Volume 2020, Article ID 6508590, 8 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/6508590