Multi-agent Simulation of the Human Impacts and Landscape Dynamics of Agroforestry Adoption in the Uplands of Southern Philippines

A model to understand the adoption of agroforestry technologies in Claveria, southern Philippines, was developed using a combination of participatory approaches, household surveys, and agent-based modeling. Understanding the decision-making strategies of farmers with regard to agroforestry adoption is essential to the success of efforts to arrest the continuous degradation of upland areas. Agroforestry has always been a component of soil conservation and watershed management in the uplands. In developing the model, we follow the “companion modeling approach,” in which we start with a preliminary model with initial ideas about the system that is eventually revised and rebuilt. The model evolves as a result of the addition of new information from actual observations and experiences in the field. This process leads to the construction of a new model and, as this cycle is repeated, a family of models representing the successive interactions between the researcher and the field is developed (Barreteau et al, 2003). Because the model is work in progress, it results in a genuine knowledge-based system that allows interactions between researchers and stakeholders (Berkes and Folke 1998, as cited in Barreteau et al, 2003). Land-use change involves interactions between ecological and socioeconomic systems (Polhill et al, 2002). The FEARLUS project applied agent-based modeling techniques to explore possible land-use outcomes under different scenarios such as the introduction of new legislation, globalization of markets for farm produce, or climate change (Polhill et al, 2003). In our study, the SAFODS-MAS (Smallholder Agroforestry Options for Degraded Soils – Multi-Agent Systems) model will be used to simulate and predict land-use change in Claveria as a result of agroforestry system adoption by the different farmer types.