Why Do Farmers Do What They Do? A Heuristic Modelling Case Study In Mexico

Steven G. M. Schilizzi

No 171094, 1995 Conference (39th), February 14-16, 1995, Perth, Australia from Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society

Abstract: With whole-farm models, it is usually hard to know how representative the models are of reality. No rigorous validation procedure seems to have been proposed. There has always been a dilemma between descriptive power and tractability. The outcome has been to resort to a confused mix of expert opinion and normative attitude. Discrepancies between model output and farmers· behaviour have usually been interpreted in disfavour of farmers, by considering them to be ;n some way sub-optimal, or insufficiently informed. In traditional systems where the rationale of production behaviour can vary widely, it may pay to first understand their rationale before applying nonnative principles or recommending new technologies. We use a case study in Mexico to illustrate a procedure allowing for such an assessment of our understanding. The procedure. though based on the use of linear programming, is independent of the modelling technique.

Keywords: Agribusiness; Farm Management; International Relations/Trade; Research Methods/Statistical Methods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 17
Date: 1995-02
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aare95:171094

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.171094

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