---
entity_slug: agricultural_cultivation_at_farmer_expense
evaluator: null
evaluated_at: '2026-02-23T00:25:52.273125'
overall_score: 4.6
scores:
- name: definition_precision
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: 'The definition clearly distinguishes this system from alternatives (landlord-funded
    cultivation) and specifies the key mechanism: farmers provide capital and capture
    returns, creating improvement incentives. The concept is distinct and well-bounded,
    though could be slightly more precise about what constitutes "secure tenure."'
- name: source_grounding
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This directly reflects Smith's analysis in Book III, Chapter 2, where
    he explicitly argues that tenant farmers with their own capital make superior
    improvers compared to proprietors because of aligned incentives. The entity accurately
    captures Smith's reasoning about why this arrangement promotes agricultural improvement.
- name: domain_placement
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: '"Production" is the correct domain placement as this concerns the organization
    and efficiency of agricultural production processes. The entity deals fundamentally
    with how production is structured and incentivized rather than exchange, distribution,
    or consumption.'
- name: vsm_relevance
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This maps well to S1 (primary operations) as it describes how actual
    agricultural production is organized and executed. It also has S3 relevance regarding
    internal regulation through the farmer's self-interest in efficient management,
    making it a strong fit for VSM analysis.
- name: explanatory_value
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: 'This entity illuminates a crucial mechanism in Smith''s theory: how
    property arrangements and capital ownership create incentive structures that drive
    economic improvement. It explains why certain institutional arrangements produce
    superior outcomes rather than merely describing surface phenomena.'
---

# Evaluation: Agricultural Cultivation At Farmer Expense

## definition_precision — 4.0 / 5.0

The definition clearly distinguishes this system from alternatives (landlord-funded cultivation) and specifies the key mechanism: farmers provide capital and capture returns, creating improvement incentives. The concept is distinct and well-bounded, though could be slightly more precise about what constitutes "secure tenure."

## source_grounding — 5.0 / 5.0

This directly reflects Smith's analysis in Book III, Chapter 2, where he explicitly argues that tenant farmers with their own capital make superior improvers compared to proprietors because of aligned incentives. The entity accurately captures Smith's reasoning about why this arrangement promotes agricultural improvement.

## domain_placement — 5.0 / 5.0

"Production" is the correct domain placement as this concerns the organization and efficiency of agricultural production processes. The entity deals fundamentally with how production is structured and incentivized rather than exchange, distribution, or consumption.

## vsm_relevance — 4.0 / 5.0

This maps well to S1 (primary operations) as it describes how actual agricultural production is organized and executed. It also has S3 relevance regarding internal regulation through the farmer's self-interest in efficient management, making it a strong fit for VSM analysis.

## explanatory_value — 5.0 / 5.0

This entity illuminates a crucial mechanism in Smith's theory: how property arrangements and capital ownership create incentive structures that drive economic improvement. It explains why certain institutional arrangements produce superior outcomes rather than merely describing surface phenomena.
