Though Iran is already the world’s largest producer of saffron, current methods of production may benefit significantly from improved mechanization. Consequently, as the Iranian government looks to set policy for the next twenty years, in its forthcoming National Mechanization Policy, saffron production will be of central concern. Along with techno-economic factors, environmental and social impact must also be taken into consideration if any proposed strategy is to be sustainable. One important step in the process of saffron cultivation is crust crushing, whereby the hard surface of the soil is crushed to facilitate germination. In this paper, based on multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques, an innovative policy framework was developed for the mechanization of crust crushing in saffron fields. Five harrowing systems (two full mechanized systems, semi-mechanized and two traditional systems) were defined as harrowing candidates. Six key factors (time, cost, energy, availability, quality of work and employment) were considered as technical attributes. As a case study, the required information and data were taken from farmers and contractors of Mianjolge-Neyshabour city, Iran. Applying MCDM techniques, results indicate that for this specific region, employment is likely the most important criterion for decision making and tiller is the optimal system. It is worth noting that this same dynamic decisionmaking framework will flexibly accomodate any innovations in future production systems.

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