Abstract:
We designed a Linear and Quadratic Programming Farm Model using Premium Solver to
quantify trade-offs, risks and CO2 emissions in farming systems between food and bio energy
crops. LP results showed that consumption of food staples, notably maize and cassava, declined
by 33% from Farm Plan 1 (FP1) in order to achieve the Total Gross Margin (TMG) in Farm Plan
2 (FP2). FP2, which introduced Jatropha, created demand for hired labour compared to FP1. QP
analysis showed that increasing farm income from GH?60320.88 to GH?67023.21 increases the
risk by 28. Switching from a higher risk option in Farm Plan 4 (FP4) to a lower risk option in
Farm Plan 3 (FP3) reduces expected farm income by 25. Trading off profit for a reduction in
risk can initially be done at relatively low cost in terms of profit foregone. GHG emissions can
be reduced by 3 but with implications for food production |
