29 pages, Agent-based models are important tools for simulating farmers’ behaviour in response to changing environmental, economic or institutional conditions and policies. This article introduces an agent-based modelling approach that combines behavioural factors with standard bio-economic modelling of agricultural production. More specifically, our framework integrates the cumulative prospect theory and social interactions with constrained optimisation decisions in agricultural production. We apply our modelling approach to an exemplary bio-economic model on the assessment of weed control decisions. Results show the effects of heterogeneous farm decision-making and social networks on mechanical weed control and herbicide use. This framework provides a generic and conceptually sound approach to improve the scope for representing farmers’ decision-making and allows the simulation of their decisions and recent advances in behavioural economics to be aligned with existing bio-economic models of agricultural systems.
Winfield United (author), Exponent PR (author), and Colle+McVoy (author)
Format:
Online document
Publication Date:
2017
Published:
United States: Public Relations Society of America
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 8 Document Number: D10305
Notes:
3 pages., Via Silver Anvil Awards., WinField United teamed up with Exponent PR and its sister agency, Colle+McVoy, to unleash a multi-channeled communications blitz to help farmers and retailers be more efficient and sustainably connect the dots using WinField United’s proprietary precision agriculture tools and data platforms. Additionally, the team took on the challenge of telling the remarkable story of modern agriculture to the masses.