PROJECT SUMMARY
Overview: The corn-water-ethanol-beef (CWEB) system requires large amounts of freshwater resources and energy and has a large environmental footprint in terms of wastewater and greenhouse gas emissions. The overall goal of this work is to develop an educational immersive simulation game to enhance understanding of the complex interactions of the CWEB system nexus through outreach activities including 4-H programs, partnerships with high school teachers, and engagement of undergraduate students and the public. Specific objectives and tasks for reaching that goal include: (1) Develop a simplified integrative CWEB model from existing individual sub-models and datasets that describes the complex dynamic interactions of the CWEB system. This will require evaluating and compiling existing data and sub-models of the CWEB system thoroughly, linking sub-models and utilize game theory to understand coupling of these models with social, economic, and environmental effects utilizing game theory to understand the coupling of these models with social, economic, and environmental effects; and validating the models for coupling based on historical data and events to analyze different scenarios to better understand their interconnectivity. (2) Build an educational immersive simulation game to enhance understanding of the dynamics of the CWEB system. This will require designing a simulation game framework; and developing an educational immersive simulation game. (3) Prepare FEW educational materials and conduct outreach activities to 4-H programs, high school teachers, undergraduate students, and the public. This will require conducting outreach activities to educate K-12 students through 4-H programs; providing curriculum materials, training, and support to high school teachers for incorporation into their agriculture vocational educational programs; and integrating experiential learning activities into the “Food, Energy, and Water (FEW) in Society” minor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Justin Smith Morrill Scholars program. Expected outcomes include an immersive simulation game, a simplified integrated model, and educational materials for 4-H, high school, and undergraduate students.  

Intellectual Merit: This project will integrate researchers from various disciplines to investigate one of the most common nexus systems in the Midwest and to provide outreach and education to 4-H students, high school teachers, undergraduate students, and the public. The developed simplified integrative model will be a framework to describe the nexus of the CWEB system. This framework model can be extended and expanded to include more FEW components, and also can be used to determine the data and knowledge gaps at the FEW nexus. The educational immersive simulation game is a transformative educational approach that can be used to enhance understanding of the complex dynamic interactions of the FEWS systems and prepare a workforce that is capable of thinking across the FEW systems. The game theory applied in the model could improve our understanding of the competitive nature of stakeholders in the nexus of FEW systems.  

Broader Impacts: The proposed immersive game and simulation model will assist stakeholders in the agriculture, food, and energy industries in understanding complex FEWS interactions and will prepare the future workforce to meet the global challenge of providing food, energy, and water to a rapidly growing population. The outreach activities through 4-H programs, high schools, and undergraduate educational curricula will help increase scientific literacy and students’ interest in pursuing STEM education and careers. The educational game will teach the public about the potential impacts of climate change and population growth on food, energy, and water availability in the future. This will enhance public awareness of limited natural resources and encourage the public to develop good habits with respect to resource conservation practices, which will improve the well-being of individuals and of society more broadly.  

Game Outline

Proposed Scenes

• Control Floor
  • Rain, weather, season
  • Economy
    • Price of oil, ethanol, corn, beef
  • Population
    • Demand for beef, oil, corn, ethanol, water

• Farm
  • Corn / Soybean rotation
    • Input into beef and ethanol
  • Irrigation system
  • Water / aquifer
  • Possible cattle/ranch
  • Grain storage

• Beef
  • Cattle / ranch – grass land
  • Feedlot
  • Manure management (on hold)

• Ethanol Plant (dry grind)
  • Gas prices
  • Oil prices
  • DDGS – feed for cattle in ranch or feedlot
  • Possibly add Cellulosic ethanol plants

Game Elements:

Control Units:

1. Feedlot
2. Cattle Farm – Field with Cattle Pen
3. Beef packing plant
4. Ethanol Plant
5. Food Plant
6. Grain milling plant
7. Corn Farm (Aquifer level)

Roles/Characters:

1. Farmer (crops and/or animal)
2. Ethanol plant manager
3. Corn milling/food plant
4. Cattle feedlot manager
5. Beef packing plant manager
6. Regulator (government – policy maker/EPA/city level)

Configuration interfaces:

List of the game model inputs (corn water ethanol beef):

1. Crop rotation
2. Population size
3. Food/energy/water demand
4. Greenhouse gas production
5. Evapotranspiration – irrigation management
6. Crop rotation
7. Transformational technologies
8. Climate change
9. Local or purchased manure
10. Irrigation management
    1. Central pivot
    2. Flood irrigation

Status Widgets:

Based upon game model outputs:

1. Profits (short-term)
2. Sustainability
3. Long-term effect (on profits, environmental health)
4. store/sell products – Grain bins
5. Greenhouse gas emissions
6. Soil health
7. Weather – precipitation
8. Commodity prices
9. Ethanol demands
10. Water availability – Aquifer levels

Audience Profile:

Game Audience (initial):

1. 4H High School Students – Encouraging students towards STEM fields
2. College Undergraduates in Food, energy, science minor. Use the game as a teaching tool for the minor. Food, energy, science minor.

Long-Term (potential) Audience:

1. Farmers / Beef Producers – Simulation game to learn how better to balance the stimuli

Similar Gaming Environments

1. African Farmer: (http://www.africanfarmergame.org/)
2. Journey 2050: (http://www.growingthenextgeneration.com/)
3. Farmville 2 (https://www.zynga.com/games/farmville-2)
4. Cybernations – (http://www.cybernations.net/)

Client Reviews of other gaming environments

African Farmer: (http://www.africanfarmergame.org/)

• Strategies are good
• Need to include policies, water, environment (sustainability) aspects
• Graphics need to be better
• Add videos to educate users
• Single and multiplayer versions

Journey 2050: (http://www.growingthenextgeneration.com/)

• Different cultures
• Nice graphics
• Videos are available
• Population effect is not included
• Sustainability is given the highest priority – just accept all investment opportunity to get better score
• Speed is important to plant multiple fields…
• Seasons are not considered
• Focussed on farming alone
• – (before start of the season/simulation)

• Overall story-line introduction needed

Cybernations(http://www.cybernations.net/)

• good strategy but very textual interface

Farmville 2 – (https://www.zynga.com/games/farmville-2)

• great graphics, more inclined to game play