Design of an Agent-Based Model to Examine Population-Environment Interactions in Nang Rong District, Thailand.

The design of an agent-based model (ABM) is described that integrates Social and Land Use Modules to examine population–environment interactions in a former agricultural frontier in Northeastern Thailand. The ABM is used to assess household income and wealth derived from agricultural production of lowland, rain-fed paddy rice and upland field crops in Nang Rong District as well as remittances returned to the household from family migrants who are engaged in off-farm employment in urban destinations. The ABM is supported by a longitudinal social survey of nearly 10,000 households, a deep satellite image time-series of land use change trajectories, multi-thematic social and ecological data organized within a GIS, and a suite of software modules that integrate data derived from an agricultural cropping system model (DSSAT – Decision Support for Agrotechnology Transfer) and a land suitability model (MAXENT – Maximum Entropy), in addition to multi-dimensional demographic survey data of individuals and households.