Goal
This project examines the available information, definition of decision frameworks, and decision processes of European-origin farmers and farm communities living in communities in the Great Plains of the United States and the Orange Free State in South Africa. CRED's goal is to analyze the extent to which contemporary decision processes identified and tested in Center research projects match those of earlier time periods. These historical case studies provide longer time horizons for observing (a) the impacts of extreme changes in weather, available information, and technological innovation on the framing of individual and group decision processes; (b) the consequences of individual and group actions and decisions under these conditions; and (c) individual and group adaptation or reformulation of decisions and decision frameworks as weather patterns and technological information and applications changed. For example, we examine individual decisions related to land selection, land use, crop selection, farming vs. livestock grazing, "overstocking" and soil exhaustion, and production for changing commercial markets.

Background
Both the Upper Great Plains and the agricultural areas of the Orange Free State had been settled by European-origin farmers who had migrated into the area from, different types of agricultural regions. These farmers had neither traditional knowledge nor experience with the climate in their new setting. In addition, both regions also experienced significant and well documented climate variability in the period from 1880 to 1940, and thus provide a valuable historical study of individual and group agricultural decisions. Farmers felt variability more keenly than residents in the rapidly growing urban areas because farmers were more dependent on rainfall and the length of the growing season, both of which could be directly influenced by climate variability.

Research Questions
To what extent are contemporary decision processes similar to those of earlier time periods?

How did farmers frame their options under climate uncertainty and make individual and group decisions in terms of establishing collective resources to facilitate the sale of products?

Last Updated: June 1, 2006