Role of Heterogeneous Behavioral Factors in an Agent-Based Model of Crop Choice and Groundwater Irrigation
Authored by Yao Hu, Steve Beattie
Date Published: 2019
DOI: 10.1061/(asce)wr.1943-5452.0001033
Sponsors:
No sponsors listed
Platforms:
Java
Model Documentation:
ODD
Mathematical description
Model Code URLs:
Model code not found
Abstract
Unsustainable groundwater use has led to the lowering of groundwater
levels and the degradation of groundwater-dependent ecosystems
worldwide. Integrated hydrologic-ecological-economic models have been
developed to simulate and optimize the coupled human and groundwater
systems, and address the issue of unsustainable groundwater use.
However, a lack of understanding of the heterogeneity of groundwater
users undermines the performance of the integrated models. In this
paper, an agent-based model is developed using a two-stage optimization
strategy with the goal of optimizing the decision making of
heterogeneous farmers on crop choice and groundwater irrigation. The
performance of the optimization strategy is evaluated under the
influence of four behavioral factors. The results illustrate that the
optimization strategy can lead to higher crop profits or a slower rate
of groundwater depletion in comparison with the observations, but does
not necessarily guarantee the optimal solution in balancing these two
objectives. In order to achieve sustainable groundwater use, the roles
that behavioral factors play in farmers' decision making need to be
better understood, and better accounted for in groundwater policy.
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