Unit Outline

In this unit, students are introduced to applying economic principles to agriculture, agribusiness, and related markets. Students will apply economic principles to study issues in food production and food security. Content will include topics in farm management and organisation, the operation of agricultural markets, managing risk and the economics of government intervention in food and agricultural markets. The role of soil stewardship, farm diversification and farming in multifunctional landscapes will also be considered.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:

1.	Use economic concepts to identify and discuss issues in the agriculture and food sectors.
2.	Select and apply appropriate economic theory to analyse agriculture and food markets, agribusiness, consumers and other market participants.
3.	Apply economic theory and models to analyse contemporary agriculture and food policy.
4.	Collaboratively work with peers to critically apply economic theory, analyse and evaluate economic issues. Effectively communicate results and research in agriculture and food economics.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

To Be Determined

Teaching arrangements

ATTENDANCE MODE	TEACHING TYPE	LEARNING ACTIVITY	CONTACT HOURS	FREQUENCY
On Campus	Workshop	Introductory 1-hr workshop, Week 1	1	Once only
	Lecture (Online)	Pre-recorded 1-hr lecture, once a week	1	Weekly
	Workshop	2-hr workshop, fortnightly, commencing in Week 2	2	1 time per fortnight
	Independent Learning	5-hrs independent learning	5	1 time per fortnight
Online	Online Class	Introductory 1-hr workshop, Week 1	1	Once only
	Independent Learning	Pre-recorded 1-hr lecture, once a week	1	Weekly
	Online Class	1-hr workshop, weekly, commencing in Week 2	1	Weekly
	Independent Learning	5-hrs independent learning	5	Weekly

Attendance / engagement expectations

If your unit is offered On campus, it is expected that you will attend all on-campus and onsite learning activities. This is to support your own learning and the development of a learning community within the unit. If you are unable to attend regularly, please discuss the situation with your course coordinator and/or our UConnect support team.

If your unit is offered Online, it is expected you will engage in all those activities as indicated in the Unit Outline, including any self-directed learning.

If you miss a learning activity for a legitimate reason (e.g., illness, carer responsibilities) teaching staff will attempt to provide alternative activities (e.g., make up readings) where it is possible.

The Tasmanian School of Business and Economics regularly hosts Masterclasses and Industry Engagement and Employability Events, which students are encouraged to attend. Registration and details will be available via the College of Business and Economics channel on the Uni App and/or via your Unit Coordinator.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule

ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Assignment	Week 5	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Policy Debate	Week 9	35 %	LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Group Report (Components Due: Week 4, 8 & 13)	Week 13	35 %	LO1, LO2, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Assignment

Task Description:

A economic policy question will be posted on MyLO. Answering the question will require using unit materials from earlier weeks as well as researching journal articles and/or government reports. This assessment will be assessed individually

Task Length:

1,000 (+/- references and diagrams)

Due Date:

Week 5

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Recognise trends in the agriculture and food sectors.	LO1
2	Identify appropirate economic concepts and apply them to describing issues in the agriculture and food sectors.	LO1
3	Agribusiness and farm management: soil stewardship, organisational structures, innovation, productivity, supply chain.	LO2
4	Economic analysis of markets: local, regional, national and international trade.	LO2
5	Economic analysis of risk management in agribusiness.	LO2
6	Use economics to analysis issues of food security.	LO3
7	Use economics to analyse government policy and regulation in the food and agriculture sectors.	LO3
8	Use economics to analyse agricultural related environmental and social issues.	LO3

Assessment Task 2: Policy Debate

Task Description:

A debate on different food or agricultural topics will be held during the semester with students arguing for or against an assigned topic.

Task Length:

5 to 10 - minute presentation

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Use economics to analysis issues of food security.	LO3
2	Use economics to analyse government policy and regulation in the food and agriculture sectors.	LO3
3	Use economics to analyse agricultural related environmental and social issues.	LO3
4	Effectively communicate economic arguments using data, statistical and theoretical evidence.	LO4
5	Communicate economic analysis clearly in a written form.	LO4

Assessment Task 3: Group Report (Components Due: Week 4, 8 & 13)

Task Description:

Students will be required to prepare a report analysing one agricultural commodity that is produced in Australia. This report is a group assessment, with groups made up of between two and four students. More details about what needs to be included in the report will be provided during the semester, however the assessment has four key milestones:
1. Outline and Workplan (Week 4)
2. Individual write-up (Week 8)
3. Editing and compilation of final report (Week 13)
Feedback will be provided after each milestone is complete. This assessment will draw on course materials from all modules and will require researching and collecting data from the academic literature and government reports.

Task Length:

2,000 – 4,000 words (word limit based on group size)

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Recognise trends in the agriculture and food sectors.	LO1
2	Identify appropriate economic concepts and apply them to describing issues in the agriculture and food sectors.	LO1
3	Agribusiness and farm management: soil stewardship, organisational structures, innovation, productivity, supply chains.	LO2
4	Economic analysis of markets: local, regional, national and international trade.	LO2
5	Effectively communicate economic arguments using data, statistical and theoretical evidence.	LO4
6	Communicate economic analysis clearly in a written form.	LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

You will need access to the following textbooks:

1. Principles of Agricultural Economics – Barkley and Barkley 3rd edition (2020) or 4th edition (2023)

2. The Routledge Handbook of Agricultural Economics – Cramer et al. (2019)

Both texts are available on the Utas library website as ebooks or can be purchased from Booktopia. Accessing these texts during the semester will be essential.

Recommended reading materials

Other required resources