View in EDS

The role of farm size in public goods provision: An agent-based model of habitat conservation in agricultural landscapes.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: The role of farm size in public goods provision: An agent-based model of habitat conservation in agricultural landscapes.
Authors: Cong, Rong-Gang1,2,3,4 (AUTHOR) leocong2023@hotmail.com, Cui, Jia-Rui1,2,3,4 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Environmental Management. Jan2026, Vol. 397, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
Subjects: Farm size, Habitat conservation, Public goods, Resource management, Multiagent systems, Agricultural landscape management, Ecosystem services
Abstract: Agriculture's reliance on ecosystem services underscores the intrinsic link between crop production and habitat conservation. This study employs an agent-based model to explore how farm size influences the provision of public goods—specifically habitat conservation—within agricultural landscapes. We compare two management strategies: Farm-Scale Management (FSM), driven by individual profit maximization, and Landscape-Scale Management (LSM), which seeks to optimize collective outcomes. Pollination serves as a proxy for ecosystem services, while farm profit represents economic output. Our results show that large farms tend to invest more in habitat conservation, whereas small farms prioritize immediate yield. The spatial configuration of farms also plays a critical role: centrally located farms act as "big pigs" in public goods games—contributing more to conservation—while peripheral farms behave as "piglets," exhibiting self-interested behavior. These dynamics underscore the complexities of coordinating conservation efforts and highlight the need to consider farm size, spatial configuration, and the risk of free-riding when designing agri-environmental policies. Our model provides novel insights into the dynamic governance of habitat conservation as a public good within complex agricultural systems. • We employ agent-based model to explore farm size effects on habitat conservation outcomes. • Landscape-scale management of habitats yields higher profits and ecosystem services. • Larger farms invest more in conservation, yet smaller farms focus on yield. • Central farms contribute more to public goods while peripheral farms tend to free-ride. • This study informs agri-environmental policies considering farm size and location in conserving habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Environmental Management is the property of Academic Press Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: egs
DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 190694942
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: The role of farm size in public goods provision: An agent-based model of habitat conservation in agricultural landscapes.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cong%2C+Rong-Gang%22">Cong, Rong-Gang</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,3,4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> leocong2023@hotmail.com</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cui%2C+Jia-Rui%22">Cui, Jia-Rui</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,3,4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Environmental+Management%22">Journal of Environmental Management</searchLink>. Jan2026, Vol. 397, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Farm+size%22">Farm size</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Habitat+conservation%22">Habitat conservation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+goods%22">Public goods</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Resource+management%22">Resource management</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Multiagent+systems%22">Multiagent systems</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Agricultural+landscape+management%22">Agricultural landscape management</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ecosystem+services%22">Ecosystem services</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Agriculture's reliance on ecosystem services underscores the intrinsic link between crop production and habitat conservation. This study employs an agent-based model to explore how farm size influences the provision of public goods—specifically habitat conservation—within agricultural landscapes. We compare two management strategies: Farm-Scale Management (FSM), driven by individual profit maximization, and Landscape-Scale Management (LSM), which seeks to optimize collective outcomes. Pollination serves as a proxy for ecosystem services, while farm profit represents economic output. Our results show that large farms tend to invest more in habitat conservation, whereas small farms prioritize immediate yield. The spatial configuration of farms also plays a critical role: centrally located farms act as "big pigs" in public goods games—contributing more to conservation—while peripheral farms behave as "piglets," exhibiting self-interested behavior. These dynamics underscore the complexities of coordinating conservation efforts and highlight the need to consider farm size, spatial configuration, and the risk of free-riding when designing agri-environmental policies. Our model provides novel insights into the dynamic governance of habitat conservation as a public good within complex agricultural systems. • We employ agent-based model to explore farm size effects on habitat conservation outcomes. • Landscape-scale management of habitats yields higher profits and ecosystem services. • Larger farms invest more in conservation, yet smaller farms focus on yield. • Central farms contribute more to public goods while peripheral farms tend to free-ride. • This study informs agri-environmental policies considering farm size and location in conserving habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Environmental Management is the property of Academic Press Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=egs&AN=190694942
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.128329
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 1
        StartPage: N.PAG
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Farm size
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Habitat conservation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public goods
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Resource management
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Multiagent systems
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Agricultural landscape management
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ecosystem services
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: The role of farm size in public goods provision: An agent-based model of habitat conservation in agricultural landscapes.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Cong, Rong-Gang
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Cui, Jia-Rui
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Text: Jan2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 03014797
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 397
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of Environmental Management
              Type: main
ResultId 1