Agrarian Policy Responsiveness of Small Farmers in Costa Rica

Abstract

Decisions on resource use are taken by primary producers, guided by a variety of objectives and subject to specific household characteristics. In order to analyze farm household behavior, while taking into account sustainability considerations, an analytical framework is required that addresses technical possibilities and limitations for land use given existing farm household characteristics, and possible adjustments in the farm households’ production structure due to modifications in the market and institutional environment (Hengsdijk and Kruseman, 1992: 2–4). A recursive linear programming and farm household modeling approach is presented in order to analyze response reactions of farm households in the short and medium term (one to five years), which result from welldefined changes in production conditions.