Task 3a: Formalization of farmers’ individual behaviour

The development of this framework relies on a standard microeconomic model (profit maximization) that implies the specification of a production function. This framework will take into account the farm epidemiological status, as well as the risk for the farm to be infected due to the epidemiological situation of neighbouring farms (exogenous parameter to the model). The constraints associated with the control of diseases will be specific to the pathogens considered in the project and constitute an important issue in the building of the theoretical framework. First, the control measures will be characterized by different time scales and a limited reversibility. Moreover, the profit maximization problem implies an a priori estimation of the impact on the production function of disease control tools, which will lead to a first coupling with a within-herd epidemiological model. Finally, to ensure the tractability of the microeconomic model, the hypothesis of economic rationality of the farmer will not be relaxed, but we will take into account in our model the limited information available for the farm, establishing a distinction between the real situation and its perception by the farmer (time lags, lack of information, uncertainty).