IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agisys/v123y2014icp108-119.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Ex-ante assessment of soil conservation methods in the uplands of Vietnam: An agent-based modeling approach

Author

Listed:
  • Quang, Dang Viet
  • Schreinemachers, Pepijn
  • Berger, Thomas

Abstract

Agriculture in mountainous areas in Vietnam has much intensified since the introduction of market-based reforms in the mid 1980s. The adoption of hybrid maize varieties, mineral fertilizers and reduction in fallow periods has improved farm incomes, but has also led to a dramatic increase in soil erosion from sloping lands which has created a downward pressure on crop yields and has had adverse effects on downstream areas. This study explores the relationship between soil fertility, crop yields and the use of soil conservation methods by applying an agent-based modeling approach that combines whole-farm mathematical programming to simulate the decision-making of each individual farm household with a biophysical simulator of crop yields and soil fertility dynamics for each individual landscape unit. Simulation results suggest an average soil loss is 30tons for maize fields and 27tons for cassava fields per hectare per annum under present economic conditions, which is in the range of what other studies have measured, and a consequent decline in the average household incomes by 28.5% over a 25years period. The introduction of three soil conservation methods in maize (vetiver grass strips, ruzi grass barriers and leucaena hedges) shows that these are not economical for farm households to adopt under present conditions, chiefly because of lower short-term maize yields. We explore the effect of giving farm households monetary incentives to adopt soil conservation and find that the payment needed for reducing 40±2% of the estimated soil loss would be about 12–16 USD per ton of soil saved.

Suggested Citation

  • Quang, Dang Viet & Schreinemachers, Pepijn & Berger, Thomas, 2014. "Ex-ante assessment of soil conservation methods in the uplands of Vietnam: An agent-based modeling approach," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 108-119.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:123:y:2014:i:c:p:108-119
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2013.10.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X13001261
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agsy.2013.10.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    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. repec:dau:papers:123456789/11412 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Pepijn Schreinemachers & Chakrit Potchanasin & Thomas Berger & Sithidech Roygrong, 2010. "Agent‐based modeling for ex ante assessment of tree crop innovations: litchis in northern Thailand," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 41(6), pages 519-536, November.
    3. Iven Schad & Petra Schmitter & Andreas Neef & Marc Lamers & La Nguyen & Thomas Hilger & Volker Hoffmann & Camille Saint-Macary, 2012. "Why do people not learn from flood disasters? Evidence from Vietnam’s northwestern mountains," Post-Print hal-01686732, HAL.
    4. Bernet, T. & Ortiz, O. & Estrada, R. D. & Quiroz, R. & Swinton, S. M., 2001. "Tailoring agricultural extension to different production contexts: a user-friendly farm-household model to improve decision-making for participatory research," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 183-198, September.
    5. Pepijn Schreinemachers & Thomas Berger & Aer Sirijinda & Suwanna Praneetvatakul, 2009. "The Diffusion of Greenhouse Agriculture in Northern Thailand: Combining Econometrics and Agent‐Based Modeling," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 57(4), pages 513-536, December.
    6. Schreinemachers, Pepijn & Berger, Thomas & Aune, Jens B., 2007. "Simulating soil fertility and poverty dynamics in Uganda: A bio-economic multi-agent systems approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 387-401, December.
    7. Jones, Samantha, 2002. "A Framework for Understanding On-farm Environmental Degradation and Constraints to the Adoption of Soil Conservation Measures: Case Studies from Highland Tanzania and Thailand," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(9), pages 1607-1620, September.
    8. repec:dau:papers:123456789/11411 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Thomas Berger & Regina Birner & Nancy Mccarthy & JosÉ DíAz & Heidi Wittmer, 2007. "Capturing the complexity of water uses and water users within a multi-agent framework," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 21(1), pages 129-148, January.
    10. Berger, Thomas, 2001. "Agent-based spatial models applied to agriculture: a simulation tool for technology diffusion, resource use changes and policy analysis," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 25(2-3), pages 245-260, September.
    11. 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.
    12. Affholder, François & Jourdain, Damien & Quang, Dang Dinh & Tuong, To Phuc & Morize, Marion & Ricome, Aymeric, 2010. "Constraints to farmers' adoption of direct-seeding mulch-based cropping systems: A farm scale modeling approach applied to the mountainous slopes of Vietnam," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 103(1), pages 51-62, January.
    13. Berger, Thomas & Schreinemachers, Pepijn & Woelcke, Johannes, 2006. "Multi-agent simulation for the targeting of development policies in less-favored areas," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 28-43, April.
    14. Grimm, Volker & Berger, Uta & DeAngelis, Donald L. & Polhill, J. Gary & Giske, Jarl & Railsback, Steven F., 2010. "The ODD protocol: A review and first update," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 221(23), pages 2760-2768.
    15. Nhan, Dang K. & Phong, Le T. & Verdegem, Marc J.C. & Duong, Le T. & Bosma, Roel H. & Little, David C., 2007. "Integrated freshwater aquaculture, crop and livestock production in the Mekong delta, Vietnam: Determinants and the role of the pond," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 445-458, May.
    16. Chung-I Wu & Suhua Shi & Ya-ping Zhang, 2004. "A case for conservation," Nature, Nature, vol. 428(6979), pages 213-214, 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. Issanchou, Alice & Daniel, Karine & Dupraz, Pierre & Ropars-Collet, Carole, 2018. "Soil resource and the profitability and sustainability of farms: A soil quality investment model," Working Papers 273053, Institut National de la recherche Agronomique (INRA), Departement Sciences Sociales, Agriculture et Alimentation, Espace et Environnement (SAE2).
    2. Bin Huang & Zaijian Yuan & Mingguo Zheng & Yishan Liao & Kim Loi Nguyen & Thi Hong Nguyen & Samran Sombatpanit & Dingqiang Li, 2022. "Soil and Water Conservation Techniques in Tropical and Subtropical Asia: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-19, April.
    3. Evgeny Latynskiy & Thomas Berger, 2017. "Assessing the Income Effects of Group Certification for Smallholder Coffee Farmers: Agent-based Simulation in Uganda," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(3), pages 727-748, September.
    4. Grovermann, Christian & Schreinemachers, Pepijn & Riwthong, Suthathip & Berger, Thomas, 2017. "‘Smart’ policies to reduce pesticide use and avoid income trade-offs: An agent-based model applied to Thai agriculture," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 91-103.
    5. Utomo, Dhanan Sarwo & Onggo, Bhakti Stephan & Eldridge, Stephen, 2018. "Applications of agent-based modelling and simulation in the agri-food supply chains," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 269(3), pages 794-805.
    6. Le, Thi Ha Lien & Kristiansen, Paul & Vo, Brenda & Moss, Jonathan & Welch, Mitchell, 2024. "Understanding factors influencing farmers’ crop choice and agricultural transformation in the Upper Vietnamese Mekong Delta," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    7. An Thinh Nguyen & Luc Hens, 2021. "Diversified responses to contemporary pressures on sloping agricultural land: Thai farmer’s perception of mountainous landscapes in northern Vietnam," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 5411-5429, April.
    8. Tian, Qing & Holland, John H. & Brown, Daniel G., 2016. "Social and economic impacts of subsidy policies on rural development in the Poyang Lake Region, China: Insights from an agent-based model," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 12-27.
    9. Grovermann, Christian & Schreinemachers, Pepijn & Berger, Thomas, 2015. "Evaluation of IPM adoption and financial instruments to reduce pesticide use in Thai agriculture using econometrics and agent-based modeling," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211690, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    10. Thomas Berger & Christian Troost & Tesfamicheal Wossen & Evgeny Latynskiy & Kindie Tesfaye & Sika Gbegbelegbe, 2017. "Can smallholder farmers adapt to climate variability, and how effective are policy interventions? Agent-based simulation results for Ethiopia," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 48(6), pages 693-706, November.
    11. Berger, Thomas, 2015. "Adaptation of farm-households to increasing climate variability in Ethiopia: Bioeconomic modeling of innovation diffusion and policy interventions," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 229062, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    12. Carauta, Marcelo & Troost, Christian & Guzman-Bustamante, Ivan & Hampf, Anna & Libera, Affonso & Meurer, Katharina & Bönecke, Eric & Franko, Uwe & Ribeiro Rodrigues, Renato de Aragão & Berger, Thomas, 2021. "Climate-related land use policies in Brazil: How much has been achieved with economic incentives in agriculture?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).

    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. Utomo, Dhanan Sarwo & Onggo, Bhakti Stephan & Eldridge, Stephen, 2018. "Applications of agent-based modelling and simulation in the agri-food supply chains," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 269(3), pages 794-805.
    2. Grovermann, Christian & Schreinemachers, Pepijn & Riwthong, Suthathip & Berger, Thomas, 2017. "‘Smart’ policies to reduce pesticide use and avoid income trade-offs: An agent-based model applied to Thai agriculture," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 91-103.
    3. Grovermann, Christian & Schreinemachers, Pepijn & Berger, Thomas, 2015. "Evaluation of IPM adoption and financial instruments to reduce pesticide use in Thai agriculture using econometrics and agent-based modeling," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211690, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Thomas Berger & Christian Troost & Tesfamicheal Wossen & Evgeny Latynskiy & Kindie Tesfaye & Sika Gbegbelegbe, 2017. "Can smallholder farmers adapt to climate variability, and how effective are policy interventions? Agent-based simulation results for Ethiopia," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 48(6), pages 693-706, November.
    5. Shang, Linmei & Heckelei, Thomas & Gerullis, Maria K. & Börner, Jan & Rasch, Sebastian, 2021. "Adoption and diffusion of digital farming technologies - integrating farm-level evidence and system interaction," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    6. Rianne Duinen & Tatiana Filatova & Wander Jager & Anne Veen, 2016. "Going beyond perfect rationality: drought risk, economic choices and the influence of social networks," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 57(2), pages 335-369, November.
    7. Pepijn Schreinemachers & Thomas Berger & Aer Sirijinda & Suwanna Praneetvatakul, 2009. "The Diffusion of Greenhouse Agriculture in Northern Thailand: Combining Econometrics and Agent‐Based Modeling," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 57(4), pages 513-536, December.
    8. Kopp, Thomas & Salecker, Jan, 2020. "How traders influence their neighbours: Modelling social evolutionary processes and peer effects in agricultural trade networks," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    9. Shang, Linmei & Heckelei, Thomas & Börner, Jan & Rasch, Sebastian, 2020. "Adoption and Diffusion of Digital Farming Technologies – Integrating Farm-Level Evidence and System-Level Interaction," 60th Annual Conference, Halle/ Saale, Germany, September 23-25, 2020 305586, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA).
    10. Kremmydas, Dimitris & Athanasiadis, Ioannis N. & Rozakis, Stelios, 2018. "A review of Agent Based Modeling for agricultural policy evaluation," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 95-106.
    11. Mössinger, Johannes & Troost, Christian & Berger, Thomas, 2022. "Bridging the gap between models and users: A lightweight mobile interface for optimized farming decisions in interactive modeling sessions," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    12. Coronese, Matteo & Occelli, Martina & Lamperti, Francesco & Roventini, Andrea, 2023. "AgriLOVE: Agriculture, land-use and technical change in an evolutionary, agent-based model," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    13. Latynskiy, Evgeny & Berger, Thomas, 2012. "An Agent-Based Network Approach For Understanding, Analyzing And Supporting Rural Producer Organizations In Agriculture," 52nd Annual Conference, Stuttgart, Germany, September 26-28, 2012 137383, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA).
    14. Berger, Thomas, 2015. "Adaptation of farm-households to increasing climate variability in Ethiopia: Bioeconomic modeling of innovation diffusion and policy interventions," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 229062, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    15. Carauta, Marcelo & Troost, Christian & Guzman-Bustamante, Ivan & Hampf, Anna & Libera, Affonso & Meurer, Katharina & Bönecke, Eric & Franko, Uwe & Ribeiro Rodrigues, Renato de Aragão & Berger, Thomas, 2021. "Climate-related land use policies in Brazil: How much has been achieved with economic incentives in agriculture?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    16. Bert, Federico E. & Rovere, Santiago L. & Macal, Charles M. & North, Michael J. & Podestá, Guillermo P., 2014. "Lessons from a comprehensive validation of an agent based-model: The experience of the Pampas Model of Argentinean agricultural systems," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 273(C), pages 284-298.
    17. Robert Huber & Hang Xiong & Kevin Keller & Robert Finger, 2022. "Bridging behavioural factors and standard bio‐economic modelling in an agent‐based modelling framework," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(1), pages 35-63, February.
    18. Schreinemachers, Pepijn & Berger, Thomas & Aune, Jens B., 2007. "Simulating soil fertility and poverty dynamics in Uganda: A bio-economic multi-agent systems approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 387-401, December.
    19. Schreinemachers, Pepijn & Potchanasin, Chakrit & Berger, Thomas & Roygrong, Sithidech, 2009. "The declining profitability of litchi orchards in northern Thailand: Can innovations reverse the trend?," 2009 Conference, August 16-22, 2009, Beijing, China 50954, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    20. Latynskiy, Evgeny & Berger, Thomas, 2015. "UTZ certification for groups of smallholder coffee farmers: Hype of hope?," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 229069, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

    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:123:y:2014:i:c:p:108-119. 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.