To assess sustainability and extrapolate the area’s sustainability situation, the
CatchScapeFS model was developed as a virtual farming system based on a multiagent system (MAS) approach. Relying on a bottom-up approach, the model is
suited to sustainability assessments on an individual farm basis. In addition, it
captures the complexity of the system by including aspects related to the heterogeneity and interaction of the system elements, such as farm households, crops, plots
and livestock (Potchanasin 2008).
The farm household decision-making process, which is the main part of the
model, was modeled using behavioral heuristics in which the processes were
presented as decision tree diagrams with behavioral rules and dynamic conditions.
The heuristic approach was selected as an alternative to optimization, because it
includes the qualitative aspects of farm household decision-making, such as behavior about subsistence, the fallowing of land and the performance of off-farm
activities, which are difficult to apply in optimization models (Schreinemachers
and Berger 2006; Becu et al. 2008). In addition, the approach captures bounded
rationality, which is characteristic of the decision making of farm households with
limited capability with regard to search costs in either the cognitive or financial
form (Schreinemachers and Berger 2006). Furthermore, the approach is flexible
enough to model agents’ environmental perceptions and their communications,
which are important properties to model in terms of the social interactions among
cognitive agents in the model. The approach is also flexible enough to involve
stakeholders in the various stages of the modeling process, such as model development and validation, whereby decision-making processes can be presented in a
decision tree diagram, which is more understandable for the non-modelers and;
thus, enhances stakeholder discussion (Becu et al. 2008). This approach is also
more flexible in terms of integrating the farm decision-making model with other
models such as crop, water balance and hydrological models, which have a different
temporal resolution (Becu et al. 2003).
10.5.2 Background and Study Objectives
The study presented here aimed to assess the sustainability of farming systems in
Bor Krai village, Mae Hong Son province, by developing an integrated farming
system model called CatchScapeFS. The case study area was selected as it is a
critical mountainous area located in a National Conservation Forest in northern
Thailand. In the study area, the villagers pursue subsistence farming and face
increasing resource scarcity because of population growth and the limited availability of land, while increasing market opportunities have stimulated a more
intensive use of agricultural land (Praneetvatakul and Sirijinda 2005; Chap. 1).
These trends are challenging the sustainability of the system and could in the long
run cause food insecurity and environmental problems such as land degradation.
An assessment of sustainability was performed through the use of sustainability
indicators covering the economic, social and environmental domain
(Praneetvatakul et al. 2001), and indicators included household incomes, net farm
10 Integrated Modeling of Agricultural Systems in Mountainous Areas
397
CatchScapeFS model was developed as a virtual farming system based on a multiagent system (MAS) approach. Relying on a bottom-up approach, the model is
suited to sustainability assessments on an individual farm basis. In addition, it
captures the complexity of the system by including aspects related to the heterogeneity and interaction of the system elements, such as farm households, crops, plots
and livestock (Potchanasin 2008).
The farm household decision-making process, which is the main part of the
model, was modeled using behavioral heuristics in which the processes were
presented as decision tree diagrams with behavioral rules and dynamic conditions.
The heuristic approach was selected as an alternative to optimization, because it
includes the qualitative aspects of farm household decision-making, such as behavior about subsistence, the fallowing of land and the performance of off-farm
activities, which are difficult to apply in optimization models (Schreinemachers
and Berger 2006; Becu et al. 2008). In addition, the approach captures bounded
rationality, which is characteristic of the decision making of farm households with
limited capability with regard to search costs in either the cognitive or financial
form (Schreinemachers and Berger 2006). Furthermore, the approach is flexible
enough to model agents’ environmental perceptions and their communications,
which are important properties to model in terms of the social interactions among
cognitive agents in the model. The approach is also flexible enough to involve
stakeholders in the various stages of the modeling process, such as model development and validation, whereby decision-making processes can be presented in a
decision tree diagram, which is more understandable for the non-modelers and;
thus, enhances stakeholder discussion (Becu et al. 2008). This approach is also
more flexible in terms of integrating the farm decision-making model with other
models such as crop, water balance and hydrological models, which have a different
temporal resolution (Becu et al. 2003).
10.5.2 Background and Study Objectives
The study presented here aimed to assess the sustainability of farming systems in
Bor Krai village, Mae Hong Son province, by developing an integrated farming
system model called CatchScapeFS. The case study area was selected as it is a
critical mountainous area located in a National Conservation Forest in northern
Thailand. In the study area, the villagers pursue subsistence farming and face
increasing resource scarcity because of population growth and the limited availability of land, while increasing market opportunities have stimulated a more
intensive use of agricultural land (Praneetvatakul and Sirijinda 2005; Chap. 1).
These trends are challenging the sustainability of the system and could in the long
run cause food insecurity and environmental problems such as land degradation.
An assessment of sustainability was performed through the use of sustainability
indicators covering the economic, social and environmental domain
(Praneetvatakul et al. 2001), and indicators included household incomes, net farm
10 Integrated Modeling of Agricultural Systems in Mountainous Areas
397