On farmers' objectives: A multi-criteria approach

In this paper a multi-criteria methodology aimed at researching the objectives actually followed by a farmer or by a homogeneous group of farmers is analyzed and used to predict the behaviour of family farms in ‘Vega de Córdoba’ (Spain). The proposed methodology has an algorithmic structure and is articulated within a goal programming formulation. The results obtained seem to corroborate previous findings in the literature which conjecture that the actual behaviour of farmers cannot be explained by the optimization of a single objective but by a compromise between multiple objectives. Some of the policy implications found are highlighted in the discussion.