| Litchi is an important crop in the mountainous part of northern Thailand yet its profitability has declined during the last 15 years. The replacement of litchi fruit orchards for seasonal flowers and vegetables has external costs related to increased levels of soil erosion, pesticides, and irrigation water use. Using a combination of financial analysis and agent-based modeling, the paper ex-ante assesses the impact of four technologies—artificial flower induction, small-scale cooperative fruit drying, post-harvest treatments to extend the shelf-life of fresh fruits, and greater irrigation efficiency—in terms of profits, farm incomes, litchi acreage, soil erosion, and pesticide use. The model was calibrated to one watershed in Chiang Mai province where... |
