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Contract Farming in the Mekong Delta's Rice Supply Chain: Insights from an Agent-Based Modeling Study

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Abstract

In this paper, we use agent-based modeling (ABM) to study different obstacles to the expansion of contract rice farming in the context of Mekong Delta (MKD)'s rice supply chain. ABM is a bottom-up approach for modeling the dynamics of interactions among individuals and complex combinations of various factors (e.g., economic, social or environmental). Our agent-based contract farming model focuses on two critical components of contractual relationship, namely financial incentives and trust. We incorporate the actual recurrent fluctuations of spot market prices, which induce both contractor and farmer agents to renege on the agreement. The agent-based model is then used to predict emergent system-wide behaviors and compare counterfactual scenarios of different policies and initiatives on maintaining the contract rice farming scheme. Simulation results firstly show that a fully-equipped contractor who opportunistically exploits a relatively small proportion (less than 10%) of the contracted farmers in most instances can outperform spot market-based contractors in terms of average profit achieved for each crop. Secondly, a committed contractor who offers lower purchasing prices than the most typical rate can obtain better earnings per ton of rice as well as higher profit per crop. However, those contractors in both cases could not enlarge their contract farming scheme, since either farmers' trust toward them decreases gradually or their offers are unable to compete with the benefits from a competitor or the spot market. Thirdly, the results are also in agreement with the existing literature that the contract farming scheme is not a cost-effective method for buyers with limited rice processing capacity, which is a common situation among the contractors in the MKD region. These results yield significant insights into the difficulty in expanding the agricultural contracting program in the MKD's rice supply chain.

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  • Hung Khanh Nguyen & Raymond Chiong & Manuel Chica & Richard Middleton & Dung Thi Kim Pham, 2019. "Contract Farming in the Mekong Delta's Rice Supply Chain: Insights from an Agent-Based Modeling Study," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 22(3), pages 1-1.
    • Handle: RePEc:jas:jasssj:2018-147-2
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    1. Francesca Romana Medda & Francesco Caravelli & Simone Caschili & Alan Wilson, 2017. "The Implementation of the Uganda Agent Based Model," Advances in Spatial Science, in: Collaborative Approach to Trade, chapter 0, pages 149-168, Springer.
    2. Johan F. M. Swinnen & Miet Maertens, 2007. "Globalization, privatization, and vertical coordination in food value chains in developing and transition countries," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 37(s1), pages 89-102, December.
    3. Swinnen, J.F.M. & Maertens, M., 2007. "From Public to Private Governance in Agri-food Supply Chains of Transition and Developing Countries," Proceedings “Schriften der Gesellschaft für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften des Landbaues e.V.”, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA), vol. 42, March.
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    1. Mai Chiem Tuyen & Prapinwadee Sirisupluxana & Isriya Bunyasiri & Pham Xuan Hung, 2022. "Perceptions, Problems and Prospects of Contract Farming: Insights from Rice Production in Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-22, September.
    2. Mai Chiem Tuyen & Prapinwadee Sirisupluxana & Isriya Bunyasiri & Pham Xuan Hung, 2022. "Stakeholders’ Preferences towards Contract Attributes: Evidence from Rice Production in Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-21, March.
    3. Nilanjan Dutta & Arshinder Kaur, 2023. "Enabling socially responsible operations: A decision-making model for a firm contracting with decision-biased smallholders," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 320(1), pages 509-533, January.
    4. Ming-Feng Hsieh & Yir-Hueih Luh, 2022. "Is Contract Farming with Modern Distributors Partnership for Higher Returns? Analysis of Rice Farm Households in Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-16, November.

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