A MAS model for optimizing the spatial aspects of livestock production and manure abatement

As a consequence of the EU Nitrates Directive many countries have developed policies to regulate manure production and manure emission on land. Farmers have three allocation options: spreading manure on own land, transporting manure to other farmers’ land and processing manure. To better understand the manure problem as an allocation problem a spatial mathematical programming multi-agent model has been developed. The model is applied for Flanders (Belgium), a highly concentrated livestock area. Using this model, policy alternatives and their cost efficiency can be evaluated. These simulations... Mehr ...