IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agisys/v104y2011i2p146-161.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Integrated participatory modelling of actual farms to support policy making on sustainable intensification

Author

Listed:
  • Vayssières, Jonathan
  • Vigne, Mathieu
  • Alary, Véronique
  • Lecomte, Philippe

Abstract

On the tropical island of La Réunion, population growth, increasing demand in food products, agricultural densification, and the resulting pressure on the environment are representative of what is expected to happen in the majority of the world's regions in the next decades. Crop-livestock integration is a possible solution for the sustainable intensification of farming systems. GAMEDE, a whole-farm model, was designed and used with six representative dairy farmers on the island to ex-ante assess differences in farm sustainability of various degrees of crop-livestock integration and to support discussions with farmers about these options. The model details the dynamics of the main biophysical and decisional processes affecting labour, gross margin, and energy and nutrient flows within the farm. We propose a method based on typology, modelling and participatory techniques to support policy making. All its methodological stages integrate both quantitative and qualitative data. The large majority of farm model implementation cases reported in the literature refers to constructed synthetic farms. However, in our case, actual farm simulation was particularly useful for capturing farmers' expert knowledge and providing insights into how agro-ecosystems are really managed. This approach enabled taking farm diversity into account in defining relevant interventions. The reliability of extrapolations and recommendations for policy formulation based on farm-level simulation were verified by a rigorous evaluation of the representativeness of the farm sample, crossing expert data with data stemming from a multi-variate analysis. Our research indicates that actual farms can also be typical.

Suggested Citation

  • Vayssières, Jonathan & Vigne, Mathieu & Alary, Véronique & Lecomte, Philippe, 2011. "Integrated participatory modelling of actual farms to support policy making on sustainable intensification," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(2), pages 146-161, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:104:y:2011:i:2:p:146-161
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308-521X(10)00080-6
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Taylor, Michael L. & Adams, Richard M. & Miller, Stanley F., 1992. "Farm-Level Response To Agricultural Effluent Control Strategies: The Case Of The Willamette Valley," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 17(1), pages 1-13, July.
    2. Stoorvogel, J. J. & Antle, J. M. & Crissman, C. C. & Bowen, W., 2004. "The tradeoff analysis model: integrated bio-physical and economic modeling of agricultural production systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 80(1), pages 43-66, April.
    3. Berntsen, J. & Petersen, B. M. & Jacobsen, B. H. & Olesen, J. E. & Hutchings, N. J., 2003. "Evaluating nitrogen taxation scenarios using the dynamic whole farm simulation model FASSET," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 76(3), pages 817-839, June.
    4. De Jager, A. & Onduru, D. & van Wijk, M. S. & Vlaming, J. & Gachini, G. N., 2001. "Assessing sustainability of low-external-input farm management systems with the nutrient monitoring approach: a case study in Kenya," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 69(1-2), pages 99-118.
    5. S. F. Miller & A. N. Halter, 1973. "Systems-Simulation in a Practical Policy-Making Setting: The Venezuelan Cattle Industry," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 55(3), pages 420-432.
    6. Alary, V. & Nefzaoui, A. & Jemaa, M. Ben, 2007. "Promoting the adoption of natural resource management technology in arid and semi-arid areas: Modelling the impact of spineless cactus in alley cropping in Central Tunisia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 573-585, May.
    7. Vayssières, Jonathan & Bocquier, François & Lecomte, Philippe, 2009. "GAMEDE: A global activity model for evaluating the sustainability of dairy enterprises. Part II - Interactive simulation of various management strategies with diverse stakeholders," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 101(3), pages 139-151, July.
    8. Thornton, P. K. & Herrero, M., 2001. "Integrated crop-livestock simulation models for scenario analysis and impact assessment," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 70(2-3), pages 581-602.
    9. Michel Griffon, 2002. "Révolution Verte, Révolution Doublement Verte Quelles technologies, institutions et recherche pour les agricultures de l'avenir ?," Mondes en développement, De Boeck Université, vol. 117(1), pages 39-44.
    10. Dupraz, Pierre, 1997. "La spécialisation des exploitations agricoles : changements techniques et prix des facteurs," Cahiers d'Economie et de Sociologie Rurales (CESR), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), vol. 45.
    11. Vayssières, Jonathan & Guerrin, François & Paillat, Jean-Marie & Lecomte, Philippe, 2009. "GAMEDE: A global activity model for evaluating the sustainability of dairy enterprises Part I - Whole-farm dynamic model," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 101(3), pages 128-138, July.
    12. García-Barrios, L.E. & Speelman, E.N. & Pimm, M.S., 2008. "An educational simulation tool for negotiating sustainable natural resource management strategies among stakeholders with conflicting interests," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 210(1), pages 115-126.
    13. Happe, Kathrin & Balmann, Alfons, 2008. "Doing Policy In The Lab! Options For The Future Use Of Model-Based Policy Analysis For Complex Decision-Making," 107th Seminar, January 30-February 1, 2008, Sevilla, Spain 6588, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    14. Tittonell, P. & van Wijk, M.T. & Herrero, M. & Rufino, M.C. & de Ridder, N. & Giller, K.E., 2009. "Beyond resource constraints - Exploring the biophysical feasibility of options for the intensification of smallholder crop-livestock systems in Vihiga district, Kenya," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 101(1-2), pages 1-19, June.
    15. Van Paassen, A. & Roetter, R.P. & Van Keulen, H. & Hoanh, C.T., 2007. "Can computer models stimulate learning about sustainable land use? Experience with LUPAS in the humid (sub-)tropics of Asia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 94(3), pages 874-887, June.
    16. van Ittersum, M. K. & Rabbinge, R. & van Latesteijn, H. C., 1998. "Exploratory land use studies and their role in strategic policy making," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 58(3), pages 309-330, November.
    17. van Ittersum, Martin K. & Ewert, Frank & Heckelei, Thomas & Wery, Jacques & Alkan Olsson, Johanna & Andersen, Erling & Bezlepkina, Irina & Brouwer, Floor & Donatelli, Marcello & Flichman, Guillermo & , 2008. "Integrated assessment of agricultural systems - A component-based framework for the European Union (SEAMLESS)," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 96(1-3), pages 150-165, March.
    18. Nevens, F. & Verbruggen, I. & Reheul, D. & Hofman, G., 2006. "Farm gate nitrogen surpluses and nitrogen use efficiency of specialized dairy farms in Flanders: Evolution and future goals," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 88(2-3), pages 142-155, June.
    19. Kobrich, C. & Rehman, T. & Khan, M., 2003. "Typification of farming systems for constructing representative farm models: two illustrations of the application of multi-variate analyses in Chile and Pakistan," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 76(1), pages 141-157, April.
    20. Nelson, R. A. & Holzworth, D. P. & Hammer, G. L. & Hayman, P. T., 2002. "Infusing the use of seasonal climate forecasting into crop management practice in North East Australia using discussion support software," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 74(3), pages 393-414, December.
    21. Seamus J. Sheehy & R. H. McAlexander, 1965. "Selection of Representative Benchmark Farms for Supply Estimation," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 47(3), pages 681-695.
    22. Carberry, P. S. & Hochman, Z. & McCown, R. L. & Dalgliesh, N. P. & Foale, M. A. & Poulton, P. L. & Hargreaves, J. N. G. & Hargreaves, D. M. G. & Cawthray, S. & Hillcoat, N. & Robertson, M. J., 2002. "The FARMSCAPE approach to decision support: farmers', advisers', researchers' monitoring, simulation, communication and performance evaluation," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 141-177, October.
    23. White, Howard, 2002. "Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches in Poverty Analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 511-522, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Fort, Hugo & Dieguez, Francisco & Halty, Virginia & Lima, Juan Manuel Soares, 2017. "Two examples of application of ecological modeling to agricultural production: Extensive livestock farming and overyielding in grassland mixtures," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 357(C), pages 23-34.
    2. Kim Lowell & Lindsay Smith & Ian Miller & Christopher Pettit & Eloise Seymour, 2012. "Extension Activity Support System (EASY): A Web-Based Prototype for Facilitating Farm Management," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-23, January.
    3. Michal Kulak & Thomas Nemecek & Emmanuel Frossard & Gérard Gaillard, 2013. "How Eco-Efficient Are Low-Input Cropping Systems in Western Europe, and What Can Be Done to Improve Their Eco-Efficiency?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(9), pages 1-22, September.
    4. Dieguez Cameroni, Francisco & Fort, Hugo, 2017. "Towards scientifically based management of extensive livestock farming in terms of ecological predator-prey modeling," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 127-137.
    5. Antón García-Martínez & José Rivas-Rangel & Jaime Rangel-Quintos & José Antonio Espinosa & Cecilio Barba & Carmen De-Pablos-Heredero, 2016. "A Methodological Approach to Evaluate Livestock Innovations on Small-Scale Farms in Developing Countries," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-17, June.
    6. Micha, Evgenia & Fenton, Owen & Daly, Karen & Kakonyi, Gabriella & Ezzati, Golnaz & Moloney, Thomas & Thornton, Steven F, 2019. "Mapping the pathways towards farm-level sustainable intensification of agriculture: an exploratory network 3 analysis of stakeholders’ views," SocArXiv 2rqjd, Center for Open Science.
    7. Vanwindekens, Frédéric M. & Stilmant, Didier & Baret, Philippe V., 2013. "Development of a broadened cognitive mapping approach for analysing systems of practices in social–ecological systems," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 250(C), pages 352-362.
    8. Audouin, Elise & Odru, Mariana & Masse, Dominique & Dorégo, Gualbert Séraphin & Delaunay, Valérie & Lecomte, Philippe & Vayssières, Jonathan, 2024. "A methodology based on territorial metabolism analysis to assess the multi-criteria sustainability of African village terroirs with contrasted crop-livestock systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    9. Abbate, Stefano & Centobelli, Piera & Cerchione, Roberto, 2023. "The digital and sustainable transition of the agri-food sector," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    10. Dieguez Cameroni, F.J. & Terra, R. & Tabarez, S. & Bommel, P. & Corral, J. & Bartaburu, D. & Pereira, M. & Montes, E. & Duarte, E. & Morales Grosskopf, H., 2014. "Virtual experiments using a participatory model to explore interactions between climatic variability and management decisions in extensive grazing systems in the basaltic region of Uruguay," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 89-104.
    11. Grillot, Myriam & Vayssières, Jonathan & Masse, Dominique, 2018. "Agent-based modelling as a time machine to assess nutrient cycling reorganization during past agrarian transitions in West Africa," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 133-151.
    12. Olivia Florence Godber & Boughaleb Farahat Laroussi & Mouad Chentouf & Richard Wall, 2016. "Intensification of Mediterranean Goat Production Systems: A Case Study in Northern Morocco," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-26, April.
    13. Gloria P. Rios & Sergio Botero, 2020. "An Integrated Indicator to Analyze Sustainability in Specialized Dairy Farms in Antioquia—Colombia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-15, November.
    14. Gärtner, Dominique & Keller, Armin & Schulin, Rainer, 2013. "A simple regional downscaling approach for spatially distributing land use types for agricultural land," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 10-19.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Le Gal, P.-Y. & Dugué, P. & Faure, G. & Novak, S., 2011. "How does research address the design of innovative agricultural production systems at the farm level? A review," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(9), pages 714-728.
    2. Leite, João Guilherme Dal Belo & Silva, João Vasco & van Ittersum, Martin K., 2014. "Integrated assessment of biodiesel policies aimed at family farms in Brazil," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 64-76.
    3. Janssen, Sander & van Ittersum, Martin K., 2007. "Assessing farm innovations and responses to policies: A review of bio-economic farm models," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 94(3), pages 622-636, June.
    4. Kanter, David R. & Musumba, Mark & Wood, Sylvia L.R. & Palm, Cheryl & Antle, John & Balvanera, Patricia & Dale, Virginia H. & Havlik, Petr & Kline, Keith L. & Scholes, R.J. & Thornton, Philip & Titton, 2018. "Evaluating agricultural trade-offs in the age of sustainable development," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 73-88.
    5. Tittonell, Pablo & Gérard, Bruno & Erenstein, Olaf, 2015. "Tradeoffs around crop residue biomass in smallholder crop-livestock systems – What’s next?," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 119-128.
    6. Andrieu, N. & Vayssières, J. & Corbeels, M. & Blanchard, M. & Vall, E. & Tittonell, P., 2015. "From farm scale synergies to village scale trade-offs: Cereal crop residues use in an agro-pastoral system of the Sudanian zone of Burkina Faso," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 84-96.
    7. David Berre & Jonathan Vayssières & Jean-Philippe Boussemart & Hervé Leleu & Emmanuel Tillard & Philippe Lecomte, 2012. "Combining farm simulation with frontier efficiency analysis," Working Papers 2012-ECO-16, IESEG School of Management.
    8. Alary, V. & Corbeels, M. & Affholder, F. & Alvarez, S. & Soria, A. & Valadares Xavier, J.H. & da Silva, F.A.M. & Scopel, E., 2016. "Economic assessment of conservation agriculture options in mixed crop-livestock systems in Brazil using farm modelling," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 33-45.
    9. Schreefel, L. & de Boer, I.J.M. & Timler, C.J. & Groot, J.C.J. & Zwetsloot, M.J. & Creamer, R.E. & Schrijver, A. Pas & van Zanten, H.H.E. & Schulte, R.P.O., 2022. "How to make regenerative practices work on the farm: A modelling framework," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    10. Gärtner, Dominique & Keller, Armin & Schulin, Rainer, 2013. "A simple regional downscaling approach for spatially distributing land use types for agricultural land," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 10-19.
    11. Vanwindekens, Frédéric M. & Stilmant, Didier & Baret, Philippe V., 2013. "Development of a broadened cognitive mapping approach for analysing systems of practices in social–ecological systems," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 250(C), pages 352-362.
    12. Valdivia, Roberto O. & Antle, John M. & Stoorvogel, Jetse J., 2012. "Coupling the Tradeoff Analysis Model with a market equilibrium model to analyze economic and environmental outcomes of agricultural production systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 17-29.
    13. Leah Grout & Simon Hales & Nigel French & Michael G. Baker, 2018. "A Review of Methods for Assessing the Environmental Health Impacts of an Agricultural System," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-27, June.
    14. McDonald, C.K. & MacLeod, N.D. & Lisson, S. & Corfield, J.P., 2019. "The Integrated Analysis Tool (IAT) – A model for the evaluation of crop-livestock and socio-economic interventions in smallholder farming systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    15. Paolo Cupo & Rinalda Alberta Di Cerbo, 2016. "The determinants of ranking in sustainable efficiency of Italian farms," RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA', FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2016(2), pages 141-159.
    16. Phelan, David C. & Harrison, Matthew T. & McLean, Greg & Cox, Howard & Pembleton, Kieth G. & Dean, Geoff J. & Parsons, David & do Amaral Richter, Maria E. & Pengilley, Georgie & Hinton, Sue J. & Moham, 2018. "Advancing a farmer decision support tool for agronomic decisions on rainfed and irrigated wheat cropping in Tasmania," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 113-124.
    17. Thivierge, Marie-Noëlle & Jégo, Guillaume & Bélanger, Gilles & Chantigny, Martin H. & Rotz, C. Alan & Charbonneau, Édith & Baron, Vern S. & Qian, Budong, 2017. "Projected impact of future climate conditions on the agronomic and environmental performance of Canadian dairy farms," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 241-257.
    18. John M. Antle & Claudio O. Stöckle, 2017. "Climate Impacts on Agriculture: Insights from Agronomic-Economic Analysis," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 11(2), pages 299-318.
    19. Till Kuhn, David Schäfer, 2018. "A farm typology for North Rhine-Westphalia to assess agri-environmental policies," Discussion Papers 279702, University of Bonn, Institute for Food and Resource Economics.
    20. Vayssières, Jonathan & Guerrin, François & Paillat, Jean-Marie & Lecomte, Philippe, 2009. "GAMEDE: A global activity model for evaluating the sustainability of dairy enterprises Part I - Whole-farm dynamic model," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 101(3), pages 128-138, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:104:y:2011:i:2:p:146-161. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agsy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.