THE AGRICULTURAL POLICY SIMULATOR (AGRIPOLIS) AN AGENT-BASED MODEL TO STUDY STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN AGRICULTURE (VERSION 1.0)

Kathrin Happe, Alfons Balmann () and Konrad Kellermann

No 14886, IAMO Discussion Papers from Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO)

Abstract: A central criticism common to agricultural economic modelling approaches for policy analy-sis is that they do not adequately take account of a number of characteristic factors of the agri-cultural sector. This concerns aspects like the immobility of land, heterogeneity of farms, in-teractions between farms, space, dynamic adjustment processes as well as dynamics of struc-tural change. In brief, modelling the complexity of the system has not been at the centre of interest. In terms of modelling complex economic systems, an agent-based modelling ap-proach is a suitable approach to quantitatively model and understand such systems in a more natural way. In the same way, this applies to the modelling of agricultural structures. In par-ticular, agent-based models of agricultural structures allow for carrying out computer experi-ments to support a better understanding of the complexity of agricultural systems, structural change, and endogenous adjustment reactions in response to a policy change. This paper pre-sents the agent-based model AgriPoliS (Agricultural Policy Simulator) which simultaneously considers a large number of individually acting farms, product markets, investment activity, as well as the land market, and a simple spatial representation. The ultimate objective of AgriPoliS is to study the interrelationship of rents, technical change, product prices, investments, pro-duction and policies, structural effects resulting from these, the analysis of the winners and losers of agricultural policy as well as the costs and efficiency of various policy measures. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Ein oft genannter Kritikpunkt an vielen agrarökonomischen Politikanalysemodellen ist, dass diese nur ungenügend Bezug nehmen auf Aspekte wie die Immobilität von Boden, Hetero-genität der Akteure, Interaktionen zwischen Betrieben, räumliche Bezüge, dynamische An-passungsprozesse und Strukturwandel. Kurz, die Modellierung komplexer Wirkungszusam-menhänge steht weniger oder nicht im Zentrum des Interesses. Agentenbasierte Modelle stel-len einen Weg dar, das Verständnis komplexer ökonomischer Zusammenhänge zu verbessern bzw. zu quantifizieren. Insbesondere erlauben sie die Durchführung von einer Vielzahl von Computerexperimenten, mit denen Fragestellungen wie der Zusammenhang zwischen Poli-tikmaßnahmen und Strukturwandel untersucht werden können. Basierend darauf, stellt dieser Beitrag das agentenbasierte Modell AgriPoliS (Agricultural Policy Simulator) vor. AgriPoliS ist ein räumlich-dynamisches Modell einer Agrarstruktur, in dem eine Vielzahl individuell abgebildeter landwirtschaftlicher Unternehmen in einer vereinfacht dargestellten Agrarregion agiert und beispielsweise um begrenzt verfügbare landwirtschaftliche Flächen konkurriert.

Keywords: Agricultural; and; Food; Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 42
Date: 2004
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:iamodp:14886

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.14886

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