This assessment will require you to participate in online group discussions during Weeks 1 to 4 of term. The discussions will focus on the major changes that have occurred in agricultural production systems in Australia in the last several decades and the key factors that have caused these changes. A Discussion Board will be set up in Moodle for this task.

The Unit Coordinator will post the weekly discussion topic or query on the Discussion Board on Monday of each week. You are then required to contribute to the discussion by Friday of each week. Ensure that you express your views succinctly (in 200 - 400 words). Each student is required to make a minimum of three posts on the Discussion Board over the four-week period.

• A minimum of three posts on the Moodle Discussion Board

• Each post is 200-400 words long
  
• Discussion is relevant to the query asked or weekly topic of discussion
• Your discussion displays a good understanding of the changes that have occurred in the Australian agriculture and the factors that have caused them

Further details and the marking rubric will be available on the Moodle page.

Part A: Group Report (30%) [1500±10% words] - Group Work

This is the group component of the task. You will write the report as a group. Each student is required to submit a copy of the Group Report via Moodle.

In this Group Assessment, you will analyse the trends in the land use patterns of Australian farms and discuss their impacts on the ecology of the natural systems and the environmental sustainability of agricultural systems. You will form small groups of between 3 and 5 members to undertake this assessment. You will be provided with some agricultural statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) focusing on agricultural farms and land use patterns. Within your groups, you will:

• Perform basic analysis of the data and present the results using appropriate graphs
• Based on the data provided and other sources (e.g. lectures/tutorials, websites and published articles and reports), discuss the trends in agricultural farms and land use patterns in relation to their impacts on the ecology of natural agricultural systems and the environmental sustainability of agricultural systems.
• Prepare a group report of about 1500±10% words

You may structure your report as follows:

• Title
• Introduction – Briefly explain the focus of your report and the major agricultural production systems in Australia.
• Method – Explain the data provided and how they were analysed.
• Results – Present the results in graphs and describe any trends that can be observed.
• Discussion – Interpret the results and explain their potential impacts on the ecology of natural agricultural systems and the environmental sustainability of agricultural systems. [Here you will incorporate information and data from other sources e.g. lectures/tutorials, published articles and technical reports].
• Conclusion
• References – List any references used to write your report (minimum of 5 relevant references).

Note: Students will undertake a self and peer assessment to assess the contribution made by each group member towards the completion of this task. The 30% weighting attached to Part A of the task will be distributed as follows: Group Report 25%, Self and Peer Assessment 5%. The Self and Peer Assessment form will be made available in Moodle. Each student is required to submit the group report and the completed Self and Peer Assessment form in Moodle.

Part B: - Poster (10%) - Individual Component

This is the individual component of the task. You will submit your own work.

Using a poster, summarise and present the key findings contained in the Group Report described in Part A above. The poster should be one page long and should be submitted in an appropriate format (e.g. Word, pdf).

• Ability to work effectively in a group setting
• Ability to correctly analyse, present and interpret data
• Knowledge of different farming systems and styles and sustainability concepts
• Knowledge of the impacts of key changes in the development of modern farming practices on the ecology of natural and agricultural systems
• Ability to draw information from scientific literature
• Professional presentation of the report including referencing, grammar/spelling and appropriate number of words (1500±10%)

Part B will be assessed on:

• Content
• Structure and layout of the poster
• Grammar/spelling

Further details including the assessment data and the marking rubric will be available on the Moodle page

In this assessment, you will describe an agricultural farm you are familiar with, production system or industry and identify and analyse one key challenge it is facing currently. You will then propose and evaluate potential strategies for mitigation of this challenge taking into account ecological, economic and social considerations.

Your report will be based on scientific evidence and relevant publications must be referenced. Your written assignment will have 2000 (±10%) words with the following structure:

• Title (not included in the word count)
• Abstract (a maximum of 200 words)
• Introduction of the agricultural farm/production system/industry (about 500 words)
• Outline of the current challenge the agricultural farm/production system/industry is facing (about 600 words)
• Strategy for mitigation (about 600 words)
• Conclusion (abut 100 words)
• References (not included in the word count) – minimum of 10 relevant references are required.
  

• Coherent and concise abstract covering all essential elements of the report while keeping to the word limit
• Knowledge of the selected farm, production  system or industry
• Knowledge of the current major challenge facing the selected farm, production system or industry
• Knowledge of mitigation concepts
• Ability to contextualise information used in the report
• Ability to draw information from provided scientific literature
• Professional presentation including correct referencing and keeping to word limit