A real-option farm-level model on investment in perennial energy crops under risk considerations


Loading...

Date

2017

Publication Type

Model

ETH Bibliography

yes

Citations

Altmetric

Data

Abstract

The stochastic dynamic optimization model documented in here simulates decisions of an arable farm with respect to long-term investment based on a compound American option. The implemented application is an investment in short-rotation coppice (SRC). SRC uses fast-growing trees that, once they are set-up, are coppiced several times and finally cleared-up. Time and scale of SRC introduction, intermediate harvest quantities, and final reconversion are flexible and constitute decision variables along with cropping shares for competing crops. A farmer distributes limited resources, i.e. land and labor, to SRC and competing annual crops. This decision is based on the maximization of the expected NPV under constraints related to policy obligation capturing ecological requirements. The price of SRC biomass and gross margins of annual crops are assumed to stochastic and captured by a stochastic process, but these prices can also be included as deterministic components. The costs of harvests are depicted by a function capturing economies of scale. Moreover, the farmer represented in the model can be assumed as risk-neutral or risk-averse. The model quantifies optimal time and scale of SRC cultivation and allows conducting policy and risk analyses.

Publication status

External links

Editor

Book title

Journal / series

Volume

Pages / Article No.

Publisher

ETH Zurich

Event

Edition / version

Methods

Software

GAMS, Java

Geographic location

Place name
Germany

Date collected

Date created

Subject

Real option; Stochastic programming; INVESTMENT ANALYSIS; risk analysis; policy analysis; Short-rotation coppice; agriculture; AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS; scenario tree reduction; Monte-Carlo simulation

Organisational unit

09564 - Finger, Robert / Finger, Robert check_circle

Notes

Funding

Related publications and datasets

Is supplement to: