Stanislas Boissau

Using Multi-Agent Systems in a Companion Modelling Approach for Agroecosystem Management in South-East Asia

This paper describes research using multi-agent systems as a companion modelling tool to address key issues related to agroecosystem management in northern Thailand and northern Vietnam. The authors illustrate an approach for the use of complex models for the accompaniment of adaptive management experiences. First, some considerations on the shifts of paradigm that underlie the research are discussed. Then two case studies are presented. The first one illustrates the iterative process of problem solving with local stakeholders, while the second emphasizes the emergence of local institutions in the context of land reforms. In both cases, the research started with an analysis of the agrarian system, which integrated multiscale biophysical and socioeconomic knowledge by means of a model. The research process then evolved towards the use of such models in participatory approaches for community-based natural resource management. Regular interactions between researchers and local stakeholders mediated by the companion modelling tools were helpful in progressing local development.

Constructing a Common Representation of Local Institutions and Land Use Systems through Simulation-Gaming and Multiagent Modeling in Rural Areas of Northern Vietnam: The SAMBA-Week Methodology

The authors propose to exploit the similitude and complementarity between simulation-gaming and multi-agent modeling through the development of a new methodology called SAMBA-Week, which is used for agricultural research and development. The need for such a new methodology came from the context of mountainous areas of Northern Vietnam characterized by a high social and natural diversity. As actions of research and development typically involve multiple actors, a precondition for communication is a mutual understanding of each others point of view. The authors thus used simulation-gaming, individual interviews, and multiagent modeling to enhance communication by constructing with the stakeholders a shared representation of their system as a basis for discussion.

The SAMBA role play game in northern Vietnam: An innovative approach to participatory natural resource management

Abstract The present article describes an experiment using the SAMBA role play game as a research tool in Bac Kan province of Vietnam, in the framework of the Mountain Agrarian Systems Program, a joint research project of the Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute, the International Rice Research Institute, the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, and the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement. The role play game was a follow-up to intensive field surveys and multi-agent modeling done in the same commune. We present the game and its rules, the sequence of events during a role play session, and an analysis of the process. The results of this experiment show that role play can be a useful tool, both for validation of hypotheses about the forces behind land use change and for conducting participatory research on natural resource management.