Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T05:33:43.207Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Determinants of Sustainability of a Colombian Hillside Farm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 1997

J. W. HANSEN ,
E. B. KNAPP  and
J. W. JONES
J. W. HANSEN
Affiliation:
Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida, PO Box 110570, Gainesville, FL 32611-0570, USA
E. B. KNAPP
Affiliation:
Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida, PO Box 110570, Gainesville, FL 32611-0570, USA
J. W. JONES
Affiliation:
Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida, PO Box 110570, Gainesville, FL 32611-0570, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study applies systems simulation to characterize determinants of sustainability of a hillside farm in the upper Cauca River watershed of Colombia. A farm model linked to process-level crop models was used to simulate a set of farm scenarios. Susta inability, expressed as the probability of farm continuation, was estimated for each scenario based on replicated simulation with stochastic weather and price inputs. Hypotheses about determinants of sustainability were tested by sensitivity analysis. Res ults identify cropping system, area under cultivation, consumption requirements and crop prices as important determinants of sustainability. The study highlights the impacts of price variability and spatial diversification on farm risk and the results sug gest ways to enhance the sustainability of the farm. The methodology was useful for integrating the diverse biophysical and economic factors that affect farm sustainability.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 33 , Issue 4 , October 1997 , pp. 425 - 448
Copyright
© 1997 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)