Agent-Based Modeling for Integrating Human Behavior into the Food–Energy–Water Nexus

Nicholas R Magliocca

doi:10.3390/land9120519

Abstract

The nexus of food, energy, and water systems (FEWS) has become a salient research topic, as well as a pressing societal and policy challenge. Computational modeling is a key tool in addressing these challenges, and FEWS modeling as a subfield is now established. However, social dimensions of FEWS nexus issues, such as individual or social learning, technology adoption decisions, and adaptive behaviors, remain relatively underdeveloped in FEWS modeling and research. Agent-based models (ABMs) have received increasing usage recently in efforts to better represent and integrate human behavior into FEWS research. A systematic review identified 29 articles in which at least two food, energy, or water sectors were explicitly considered with an ABM and/or ABM-coupled modeling approach. Agent decision-making and behavior ranged from reactive to active, motivated by primarily economic objectives to multi-criteria in nature, and implemented with individual-based to highly aggregated entities. However, a significant proportion of models did not contain agent interactions, or did not base agent decision-making on existing behavioral theories. Model design choices imposed by data limitations, structural requirements for coupling with other simulation models, or spatial and/or temporal scales of application resulted in agent representations lacking explicit decision-making processes or social interactions. In contrast, several methodological innovations were also noted, which were catalyzed by the challenges associated with developing multi-scale, cross-sector models. Several avenues for future research with ABMs in FEWS research are suggested based on these findings. The reviewed ABM applications represent progress, yet many opportunities for more behaviorally rich agent-based modeling in the FEWS context remain.

Highlights

Interdependencies among food, energy, and water resources pose contemporary and future sustainability challenges, and have become research and policy priorities conceptualized as the nexus of food–energy–water systems (FEWS) [1,2,3,4]
Building on needs identified by recent reviews of FEWS modeling and related Agent-based models (ABMs) approaches, this review considers both the research contexts and simulation designs of ABM applications in FEWS
The number of ABM applications in FEWS research has been increasing over the last decade, and nearly half of the reviewed articles were published in the last three years (Appendix B, Figure A1)

Summary

Introduction

Interdependencies among food, energy, and water resources pose contemporary and future sustainability challenges, and have become research and policy priorities conceptualized as the nexus of food–energy–water systems (FEWS) [1,2,3,4]. Managing change at the FEWS nexus, often with the intent to transition to more sustainable FEW resource use patterns, is a multi-scale coordination challenge. Growing populations, shifting climate patterns, and new technologies are constantly pressuring current resource supply and demand relationships, and require coordinated interventions across FEW sectors and between system- and actor-levels within each sector [1,4,5]. FEWS research efforts have predominately met the challenges of multi-sector analysis with a macroscopic perspective by aggregating or abstracting spatial and actor heterogeneity within each sector, and producing knowledge that is difficult to implement in any specific place or at the level where distributed production or consumption occurs [1,6].

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion