The role of farm size in public goods provision: An agent-based model of habitat conservation in agricultural landscapes

Agriculture's reliance on ecosystem services underscores the intrinsic link between crop production and habitat conservation. This study employs an agent-based model to explore how farm size influences the provision of public goods—specifically habitat conservation—within agricultural landscapes. We compare two management strategies: Farm-Scale Management (FSM), driven by individual profit maximization, and Landscape-Scale Management (LSM), which seeks to optimize collective outcomes. Pollination serves as a proxy for ecosystem services, while farm profit represents economic output. Our results show that large farms tend to invest more in habitat conservation, whereas small farms prioritize immediate yield. The spatial configuration of farms also plays a critical role: centrally located farms act as “big pigs” in public goods games—contributing more to conservation—while peripheral farms behave as “piglets,” exhibiting self-interested behavior. These dynamics underscore the complexities of coordinating conservation efforts and highlight the need to consider farm size, spatial configuration, and the risk of free-riding when designing agri-environmental policies. Our model provides novel insights into the dynamic governance of habitat conservation as a public good within complex agricultural systems.