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University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School
2005
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Jean-Marc A. Gandonou
University of Kentucky
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Gandonou, Jean-Marc A., "ESSAYS ON PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AND RISK
MANAGEMENT" (2005). University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations. 227.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/227
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been
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ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION
Jean-Marc A. Gandonou
The Graduate School
University of Kentucky
2005
ESSAYS ON PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY
ADOPTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT
ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky
By
Jean-Marc A. Gandonou
Lexington, Kentucky
Director: Dr. Carl R. Dillon, Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics
Lexington, Kentucky
2005
Copyright © Jean-Marc A. Gandonou 2005
ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION
ESSAYS ON PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY
ADOPTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT
Precision agriculture (PA) can be defined as a set of technologies that have helped
propel agriculture into the computerized information-based world, and is designed to help
farmers get greater control over the management of farm operations. Because of its
potential to spatially reduce yield variability within the field through variable rate
application of nutrients it is thought to be a production risk management instrument.
Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) is another production risk management technology that
is generating interest from the farming community as a result of new technological
improvements that facilitate equipment maintenance and reduces water consumption.
In the first article the production risk management potential of these two
technologies was investigated both for each technology and for a combination of the two.
Simulated yield data for corn, wheat and soybeans were obtained using EPIC, a crop
growth simulation model. Mathematical programming techniques were used in a standard
E-V framework to reproduce the production environment of a Kentucky commercial
grain farmer in Henderson County. Results show that for risk averse farmers, the lowest
yield variability was obtained with the SDI technology. The highest profit level was
obtained when the two technologies were combined.
Investment in two sets of equipments (PA and SDI) to maximize profitability and
reduce risk could however expose many farm operations to financial risk. In the second
article, a discrete stochastic sequential programming (DSSP) model was used to analyze
the impact of PA and/or SDI equipment investment on the farm’s liquidity and debt to
asset ratio.
In the last article, the cotton sector in Benin, West Africa, was utilized to study
the transferability of PA technology to a developing country. Properly introduced,
precision agriculture (PA) technology could help farmers increase profitability, improve
management practices, and reduce soil depletion. An improved production system could
also help farmers better cope with the policy risk related to cotton production. Results
from the two models show that PA is less profitable for the risk neutral farmer but more
profitable for the risk averse one when compared to conventional production practices.
The adoption of the new technology also has very little impact on the choice of crop
rotation made by the farmer.
KEYWORDS: Precision agriculture (PA), irrigation, risk management, mathematical
programming, Biophysical simulation.
________________________________________________
ESSAYS ON PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY
ADOPTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT
By
Jean-Marc A. Gandonou
_______________________ Dr. Carl R. Dillon ___
Director of Dissertation
_____________________Dr. David Freshwater___
Director of Graduate Studies
_________________________________________
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Name Date
DISSERTATION
Jean-Marc A. Gandonou
The Graduate School
University of Kentucky
2005
ESSAYS ON PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY
ADOPTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT
DISSERTATION
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky
By
Jean-Marc A. Gandonou
Lexington, Kentucky
Director: Dr. Carl R. Dillon, Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics
Lexington, Kentucky
2005
Copyright © Jean-Marc A. Gandonou 2005
Description:Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky precision agriculture (PA) technology could help farmers increase application of fertilizer), or produce under irrigated or dry land conditions The model was solved using the General Algebraic Model Solution (GAMS).
