Graduation Semester and Year
Fall 2025
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering
Department
Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering
First Advisor
Dr. Caroline Krejci
Second Advisor
Dr. Brian Huff
Third Advisor
Dr. Yuan Zhou
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Nicholas Schwab
Abstract
In most regions of the U.S., consumer demand surpasses local production capacity, largely due to the predominance of commodity crop monocultures. The production of commodity crops is not intended for human consumption and significantly contributes to environmental degradation. In contrast, local food systems that focus on specialty crops production present a more sustainable alternative. However, production of specialty crops has numerous barriers and challenges. To address these challenges, the present research examines the scalability of local food systems, emphasizing the need to increase specialty crop production to satisfy rising consumer demand while managing associated risks. An agent-based simulation model was constructed to represent farmers' land-use decision-making processes for transitioning from commodity crops to specialty crops. Several policy intervention scenarios aimed at promoting the shift from commodity crop production to specialty crop production were evaluated. This research was conducted as part of the Iowa Urban-FEWS project and aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2, which emphasizes sustainable agriculture.
Keywords
agricultural land use, agent-based modeling, farmers, decision making, commodity crops, specialty crops, policy, social network, utility theory, adaptive utility
Disciplines
Agricultural Education | Biodiversity | Design of Experiments and Sample Surveys | Environmental Engineering | Environmental Studies | Food Security | Food Studies | Industrial Engineering | Other Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering | Other Social and Behavioral Sciences | Special Functions | Urban Studies and Planning
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Patel, Poojan Sanjay, "EVALUATING SOCIAL INFLUENCE AND POLICY INTERVENTIONS IN FARMER’S DECISION-MAKING: AN AGENT-BASED MODELING APPROACH" (2025). Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations. 251.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/industrialmanusys_dissertations/251
Included in
Agricultural Education Commons, Biodiversity Commons, Design of Experiments and Sample Surveys Commons, Environmental Engineering Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Food Security Commons, Food Studies Commons, Industrial Engineering Commons, Other Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons, Special Functions Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons