Multi-Agent Models for Teaching, Extension and Collaborative Learning

This paper describes an agent-based land use modeling approach, called MPMAS,developed at Hohenheim University. The main focus of this approach is theintegration of economic decision-models with biophysical models of water supply and soilfertility at a fine spatial resolution. Short-term production and consumption decisions ofagents are represented as mathematical programming problems, whereas longer-termdecisions, for example investment and migration, are represented using heuristics. Here, weposition the approach in relation to alternative agent-based models of land use and watermanagement and describe empirical applications to Chile, Uganda, Ghana, and Thailand.Based on these practical experiences, we discuss the use of MP-MAS as a tool forcollaborative learning and participatory research.