Agri-food systems as an environmental issue. You are required to write a policy briefing report of 1,500 words
Description
The choice of case study and actor is yours. For example, if your chosen environmental problem in Part 1 was deforestation, your case study could be, for example, deforestation in a particular country, region or district; the labelling of sustainably managed timber; the role of agricultural producers in driving deforestation; a village-level forest conservation scheme; or the relationship between open cast mining and forest loss. And there are many other examples you could choose.
Your policy report could be for any actor for whom deforestation is a salient issue. You need to prepare your briefing report for a policymaker or engaged stakeholder involved in the practices of environmental decision-making or policy formation, such as NGO activists, civil servants, government ministers, business directors, community leaders, an international organisation, a small local business, a local council, a trade union, a school or a university. Your report could include briefing advice to prepare negotiators by, for example, contributing to the factual basis of the negotiations, facilitating deal-making or making innovative proposals for the negotiations that are relevant to your chosen case study.
As you can see, the range of choices available to you is vast. Chose a case study on which you are confident you can research relevant material. You should also choose a case study where the theme of responsibility and citizenship can be brought to bear in a practical way.
If you choose to write as an environmental activist working for a non-governmental organisation (NGO) of your choice, you will need to write your report in a style appropriate for an NGO. Likewise, if you choose to write as an environmental sustainability adviser working for a business of your choice, you will need to write your report in a style appropriate for a business. To help you familiarise yourself with these different styles, when researching and preparing your policy briefing report, you might like to research examples of existing reports written by similar organisations.
While, as with the TMAs, your examiners will be assessing your use of ideas and evidence, in this report they will also be simulating the role of the policymaker or stakeholder to whom the report is directed when reading your submission, especially when considering your action points and how they are substantiated with evidence.