Computational Model Library

Family Herd Demography (1.2.0)

This Agent-Based Model (ABM) examines the dynamics of herd growth is part of a larger study that examines the coupled dynamics of herds and household demography in African pastoral systems. We used the model to examine the role of scale (herd size) stochasticity (in mortality, fertility, and off take rates) on herd growth in African pastoral systems. We derived the mortality, fertility, and offtake rates from a review of the literature. Our model is relatively simple but captures the key dynamics of the family herds in African pastoral systems in which herds consists of animals in different age and sex classes (e.g., calves, heifers, bullocks, cows, bulls) that each have different mortality and offtake rates. The model is non-spatial – we model only the herd and not the environment – and there are thus no density-dependent feedbacks. The model is built in NetLogo (version 5.05) (Wilensky 1999).

ABM_Herd_Model_09AUG2016_interface.png

Release Notes

Version 1.0

Associated Publications

Moritz, Mark Abigail Buffington, Andrew Yoak, Ian M. Hamilton, Rebecca Garabed. 2017. No magic number: An examination of the herd-size threshold in pastoral systems using agent-based modeling, Human Ecology, 45(4): 525-532.

Family Herd Demography 1.2.0

This Agent-Based Model (ABM) examines the dynamics of herd growth is part of a larger study that examines the coupled dynamics of herds and household demography in African pastoral systems. We used the model to examine the role of scale (herd size) stochasticity (in mortality, fertility, and off take rates) on herd growth in African pastoral systems. We derived the mortality, fertility, and offtake rates from a review of the literature. Our model is relatively simple but captures the key dynamics of the family herds in African pastoral systems in which herds consists of animals in different age and sex classes (e.g., calves, heifers, bullocks, cows, bulls) that each have different mortality and offtake rates. The model is non-spatial – we model only the herd and not the environment – and there are thus no density-dependent feedbacks. The model is built in NetLogo (version 5.05) (Wilensky 1999).

Release Notes

Version 1.0

Version Submitter First published Last modified Status
1.2.0 Mark Moritz Sat Jan 6 15:27:40 2018 Mon Apr 20 16:53:18 2020 Published Peer Reviewed https://doi.org/10.25937/vtjx-bm91
1.1.0 Mark Moritz Thu Aug 3 15:25:37 2017 Mon Feb 19 22:51:59 2018 Published
1.0.0 Mark Moritz Mon Aug 15 19:41:24 2016 Mon Feb 19 22:52:41 2018 Published Peer Reviewed

Discussion

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