A modelling approach for analysis of agro pastoral activity at the one-farm level

A model was developed to represent the general functioning of a low input fanning system in order to dispose of a tool able to simulate the effects of changes in productive and social organisation in traditional Andean rural communities. The model analyses daily agro pastoral activities of different members of an Andean peasant family, and farm crop production, across a 1-year timeframe, according to climate and labour organisation. The modelling approach uses object-oriented language, describes the objects and their relations with a unified modelling language formalism and manages time as illustrated by a sample potato crop. To demonstrate this methodology, one-farm observed and simulated data are compared within two frameworks: the cattle-feeding system, and the labour allocation system detailed by task and by gender. Results show good reliance in the first case study and, in the second case, a satisfactory overview of the agro pastoral calendar of household member workers, regarding the priorities given by peasants according to climate, land-use constraints, social organisation and out-farm activities. Due to its modularity, the object-oriented modelling approach appears to improve understanding of the general functioning of agro pastoral households by allowing multi-purpose simulations and exploring the links between social and productive activities. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.