Agent-Based Model of Cocoa Mirids at the Scale of a Cocoa Farm

Cocoa beans are vital for the chocolate industries, with some African countries (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon) currently having 72% of the worldwide cocoa production. However, cocoa cultivation faces many threats such as diseases and insects. The most damaging insect that attacks cocoa plant in West Africa is the mirid. The previous works on the mirids accentuate their attention on the macroscopic view of the mirids. Considering the complexity of the environment where mirids live, it is difficult to properly understand the mirids’ dynamics without considering the individual behaviors of the mirids population. The representation of the mirids’ dynamics enables the ability to test many use-case scenarios. To this end, Multi-agent Systems are a suitable paradigm to model complex systems bringing out the interactions between individuals and their environment, along with the impact of their behavior. Therefore, we propose in this paper an agent-based model of the mirids’ dynamics in a cocoa farm. To build this model, we rely on the Agent-oriented Software Process for Engineering Complex Systems (ASPECS) process.