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Surrogate modelling of a detailed farm‐level model using deep learning

Author

Listed:
  • Shang, Linmei
  • Wang, Jifeng
  • Schäfer, David
  • Heckelei, Thomas
  • Gall, Juergen
  • Appel, Franziska
  • Storm, Hugo

Abstract

Technological change co‐determines agri‐environmental performance and farm structural transformation. Meaningful impact assessment of related policies can be derived from farm‐level models that are rich in technology details and environmental indicators, integrated with agent‐based models capturing dynamic farm interaction. However, such integration faces considerable challenges affecting model development, debugging and computational demands in application. Surrogate modelling using deep learning techniques can facilitate such integration for simulations with broad regional coverage. We develop surrogates of the farm model FarmDyn using different architectures of neural networks. Our specifically designed evaluation metrics allow practitioners to assess trade‐offs among model fit, inference time and data requirements. All tested neural networks achieve a high fit but differ substantially in inference time. The Multilayer Perceptron shows almost top performance in all criteria but saves strongly on inference time compared to a Bi‐directional Long Short Term Memory.

Suggested Citation

  • Shang, Linmei & Wang, Jifeng & Schäfer, David & Heckelei, Thomas & Gall, Juergen & Appel, Franziska & Storm, Hugo, 2024. "Surrogate modelling of a detailed farm‐level model using deep learning," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 75(1), pages 235-260.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:282906
    DOI: 10.1111/1477-9552.12543
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    agent-based model; deep learning; farm modelling; neural networks; surrogate model; upscaling;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C45 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Neural Networks and Related Topics
    • C63 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Computational Techniques
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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