1Department of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Coimbatore
2Department of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai
The present study aimed at developing the optimum plans under multi objective environment across scale of farming. A sample consisting of 180 farmers was drawn from the head and mid regions of Tamirabarani River basin of Tamil Nadu, India. Lexicographic goal programming was employed to develop the optimal farm plans. Lexicographic goal programming model attempted in the present study specifies the economic, ecological and equity goals of farming and ranks them according to their priorities and to satisfy the higher priority goals first before the attainment of lower priority goals. Six modal farms representing six farm situations were selected and six optimal farm plans were derived. The results of the normative planning exercised indicated that all the optimum plans derived could increase the economic goal of profit, ecological goals of reduction in intensive inputs usage and equity goal of employment generation in the farm households and there by the possibility of practicing sustainable agriculture in the region.
Farm plan, goal programming
