INTRODUCTION TO ETHNOGRAPHIC LINEAR

PROGRAMMING OF

SMALL FARM LIVELIHOOD SYSTEMS

Peter Hildebrand

SMALL FARM LIVELIHOOD SYSTEMS

• ARE HIGHLY COMPLEX

• HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF ENTERPRISES

• HAVE A HIGH DEGREE OF INTER-RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ENTERPRISES

• SHOW INCREASING DEPENDENCY UPON INFRASTRUCTURE WITH INCREASING POPULATION PRESSURES

SMALL FARM LIVELIHOOD SYSTEMS

• ARE HIGHLY COMPLEX

• HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF ENTERPRISES

• HAVE A HIGH DEGREE OF INTER-RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ENTERPRISES

• SHOW INCREASING DEPENDENCY UPON INFRASTRUCTURE WITH INCREASING POPULATION PRESSURES

SMALL FARM LIVELIHOOD SYSTEMS

• ARE HIGHLY COMPLEX

• HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF ENTERPRISES

• HAVE A HIGH DEGREE OF INTER-RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ENTERPRISES

• SHOW INCREASING DEPENDENCY UPON INFRASTRUCTURE WITH INCREASING POPULATION PRESSURES

SMALL FARM LIVELIHOOD SYSTEMS

• ARE HIGHLY COMPLEX

• HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF ENTERPRISES

• HAVE A HIGH DEGREE OF INTER-RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ENTERPRISES

• SHOW INCREASING DEPENDENCY UPON INFRASTRUCTURE WITH INCREASING POPULATION PRESSURES

MARKET

CROPS ANIMALS

HOUSEHOLD

FOREST OR BUSH

Modeling Small Farm Household Livelihood

Systems

WHY?Linear Programming helps us understandthe highly diverse livelihood systems which serve as the basis for simulating household livelihood strategies.

HOW?To accurately simulate household livelihood strategies, ELP requires ethnographicethnographic data obtained with the participationparticipation of the farmers in the livelihood system.

TO DO WHAT?ELP helps us to design alternatives for

incorporation into highly diverse systems, and to predict responses to changes in technology, infrastructure, policy or environment.

This helps to maintain and promote diversity and improve the potential for sustainable development.

Linear Programming Matrix and its Components

End year cash

(e.g., maize, cotton, livestock)

Activities

(e.g., land, labor)

Resources(e.g., food consumption, available cash)

Constraints and Goals

The basic unit to be modeled is the household

Household composition affects:

Amount and kind of labor available

Amount of food required

And cash for necessary expenses

To start, let’s consider a household that

Produces:MaizeHayGoats

And uses its:LandLaborCash

>> V ar iab les >> M A IZ E H A Y G O A T S

>> Amoun t >> 0. 00 0. 00 0. 00 R E S O U R C E R E S O U R C E O R

R E S /C O N S T ha ha h e ad A M O U N T S U S E C O N S TR A IN T

L A N D h a 1 1 0 . 1 < = 3 0 L A N D

L A B O R d ay s 40 30 7 < = 11 5 0 L A B O R

H A Y A C C TG t o ns 0 -4 0 . 6 < = 0 0 H A Y A C C TG

C A S H $ 2 00 1 50 49 < = 70 0 0 C A S H

C A S H I N C O M E $ 1 8 00 0 3 30 > = 1 00 0 0 C A S H I N C O M E

>> V ar iab les >> M A IZ E H A Y G O A T S

>> Amoun t >> 2. 88 0. 00 0. 00 R E S O U R C E R E S O U R C E O R

R E S /C O N S T ha ha h e ad A M O U N T S U S E C O N S TR A IN T

L A N D h a 1 1 0 . 1 < = 3 2 . 87 5 L A N D

L A B O R d ay s 40 30 7 < = 11 5 11 5 L A B O R

H A Y A C C TG t o ns 0 -4 0 . 6 < = 0 0 H A Y A C C TG

C A S H $ 2 00 1 50 49 < = 70 0 57 5 C A S H

C A S H I N C O M E $ 1 8 00 0 3 30 > = 1 00 0 5 17 5 C A S H I N C O M E

But the family needs to eat maize

SE LL M A IZE C A S H R AI S E

V ar iab le s > > > M A IZ E HA Y M A IZ E S TO R A GE TR A NS F E R GO A TS

V alue > > > 0. 00 0. 00 0. 0 0 0 . 00 0 . 00 0. 00 R ES O U RC E R ES O U RC E ORR E S /C O N ST ha ha c w t c w t $ he a d AM OU N T U SE C O N S TR AI N T

LA N D 1 1 0 0 0 0. 1 < = 3 0 LA N D

LA B O R 40 30 0 0 0 7 < = 115 0 L AB O RH A Y A C C T G 0 -4 0 0 0 0. 6 < = 0 0 H A Y A C C T G

M ZE A C C T G -3 0 0 1 1 0 0 < = 0 0 M ZE A C C T G

M ZE C O N S' N 0 0 0 -1 0 0 < = -3 5 0 M ZE C O N S' NC S H B E G YR 2 00 1 50 0 0 1 49 = 700 0 C S H B E G Y R

C S H E N D YR 0 0 6 0 -0 1 3 30 > = 1 00 0 0 C S H E N D Y R

SELL M AIZE CASH RAISEVar ia b les >>> MAIZE HAY MAIZE STORAGE TRANSFER GOATSValue >>> 2. 8 8 0. 0 0 5 1 . 2 5 3 5 .0 0 12 5 . 00 0. 0 0 RESOURC E RESOURC E ORRES/CONST ha ha cwt cwt $ he a d AM OUNT USE CONSTRAINTLAND 1 1 0 0 0 0.1 <= 3 2 .875 LANDLABOR 40 30 0 0 0 7 <= 11 5 11 5 L ABORHAY AC C TG 0 -4 0 0 0 0.6 <= 0 -1 .3 32E- 15 HAY ACC TGM ZE AC C TG -3 0 0 1 1 0 0 <= 0 0 M ZE ACC TGM ZE CONS'N 0 0 0 -1 0 0 <= -3 5 -3 5 M ZE CONS'NC SH BEG YR 2 00 1 50 0 0 1 49 = 70 0 70 0 CSH BEG YRC SH END YR 0 0 6 0 -0 1 3 30 >= 1 00 0 3 20 0 CSH END YR

Once we are satisfied with the model, we simulate the livelihood strategies of

different types of households that are subject to that

livelihood system.

And begin to ask it questions:

What if the price of maize dropped?What if the price of goats increased?What if we could spend $25 for more fertilizer and increase maize yield by 20%?What if we knew what the climate would be six months from now?

Sources of Diversity in ELPs

1) Seasonality: Crop resource requirements, commodity prices, and yields vary seasonally and annually.

2) Household composition and competing goals.

3) Resource availability, family consumption, and household requirements.

4) Renting land

5) Credit

6) Traditional activities and new enterprises

7) Hired labor

8) Off-farm labor

9) Irrigation

10) Mechanization

Sources of Diversity in ELPs