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Contents & Foreword, Characterizing And ... - IRRI books

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tant in risk analysis (Roetter and Van Keulen 1997). Several techniques handle risk inoptimization modeling, most of them based on expressions of variability and farmers’risk perceptions (Hazell and Norton 1986, Selvarajan et al 1997). In the simplesttechniques, mean yields in an objective function are modified by an expression ofvariability (such as standard deviation) times a farmer’s risk aversion factor, whichshould be derived from interviews. Another approach is to quantify farmers’ utilityfunctions—that include their risk perception—and to make these the objective functionof the optimization model (Kruseman et al 1995). In regional land-use studies,farmers could be categorized according to their utility functions. Farm categoriescould then be optimized individually or together in an iterative manner taking intoaccount feedback at higher levels of spatial aggregation (e.g., Roebeling et al 2000).Conclusions and recommendationsCharacterization of rainfed environments is not a goal in itself, but depends on thetype of information to be generated. It needs to be based on a sound understanding ofthe prevailing biophysical and socioeconomic processes, be it at the field, farm, orregional level. Both exploratory and predictive land-use studies have in common thatthey synthesize fragmented agricultural knowledge and integrate data on resourcesover time and space. In rainfed rice areas, high temporal and spatial variability ofproduction resources complicates the analysis. Farmers’ diverse responses to climaticand economic risks must be taken into account, which eventually demands strongerlinks between on-farm research and operational research for meaningful policy formulationand implementation.ReferencesBouman BAM. 1994. A framework to deal with uncertainty in soil and management parametersin crop yield simulation: a case study for rice. Agric. Syst. 46:1-17.Bouman BAM, Jansen HGP, Schipper RA, Nieuwenhuyse A, Hengsdijk H, Bouma J. 1999a. Aframework for integrated biophysical and economic land use analysis at different scales.Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 75:55-73.Bouman BAM, Nieuwenhuyse A, Ibrahim M. 1999b. Pasture degradation and restoration bylegumes in humid tropical Costa Rica. Trop. Grassl. 33:98-110.Bouman BAM, Jansen HGP, Schipper RA, Bouma J, Kuyvenhoven A, Van Ittersum MK. 2000.A toolbox for land use analysis. In: Bouman BAM, Jansen HGP, Schipper RA, HengsdijkH, Nieuwenhuyse A, editors. Tools for land use analysis on different scales, with casestudies for Costa Rica. Dordrecht (Netherlands): Kluwer Academic Publishers. p 213-232.Crissman CC, Antle JM, Capaldo SM. 1997. Economic, environmental, and health trade-offsin agriculture: pesticides and the sustainability of <strong>And</strong>ean potato production. Dordrecht(Netherlands): Kluwer Academic Publishers.Regional land-use analysis to support agricultural and environmental . . . 485

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