@article{Schilizzi:171094,
      recid = {171094},
      author = {Schilizzi, Steven G. M.},
      title = {Why Do Farmers Do What They Do? A Heuristic Modelling Case  Study In Mexico},
      address = {1995-02},
      number = {406-2016-25275},
      pages = {17},
      year = {1995},
      abstract = {With whole-farm models, it is usually hard to know how  representative the models are of
reality. No rigorous  validation procedure seems to have been proposed. There has  always
been a dilemma between descriptive power and  tractability. The outcome has been to resort to
a confused  mix of expert opinion and normative attitude. Discrepancies  between model
output and farmers· behaviour have usually  been interpreted in disfavour of farmers, by
considering  them to be ;n some way sub-optimal, or insufficiently  informed. In traditional
systems where the rationale of  production behaviour can vary widely, it may pay to  first
understand their rationale before applying nonnative  principles or recommending new
technologies. We use a case  study in Mexico to illustrate a procedure allowing for such  an
assessment of our understanding. The procedure. though  based on the use of linear
programming, is independent of  the modelling technique.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/171094},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.171094},
}