Food and the Future Environment

Module 12: Capstone Project Stage 5

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Module 12: Capstone Project Stage 5

Future Food Scenarios

Stage 5 is the final stage of the semester-long capstone project. There are two parts to this assignment. 

  1. You will submit a rough draft of your final Capstone Paper to be peer-reviewed. You will submit 700-1000 words, or roughly half of your final paper. Once the deadline for this submission passes, you will be able to access the paper of a peer's to review. When reviewing someone else's paper, consider the following:
    1. What are aspects of this paper do you enjoy the most? (3-5 sentences)
    2. What three aspects of this paper do you think could be improved? (3-5 sentences)
    3. To improve this paper, what two things would you change? (3-5 sentences)
  2. You will write a 1500-2000 word paper (approximately 6-8 pages double-spaced) as your final project. For this paper, you will use the data you've been gathering in the previous capstone stages throughout the semester to write a paper. Your paper will summarize the data and information you’ve gathered in stages 1, 2, 3, and 4 about the food systems of your assigned region. You may incorporate images, maps, and/or charts in your final paper, but keep in mind that these do not go toward your final count. You must include proper citations and references in your paper for any work (ideas, quoted material, maps/charts/images) that is not your own. If at any time you have a doubt about needing a citation, you should go ahead and include one or reach out to your instructor for assistance.

You will follow the instructions from your teacher to write and submit the paper. Your paper must include the following information:

Capstone Stage 5 Diagram of Final Web Page components, as explained in caption.. See link in caption for text description
Capstone Stage 5 Final Paper
Click for a text description of Capstone Stage 5 Diagram.
Capstone Stage 5 - final paper
  • Assess current status of regional food system
  • Discuss future scenarios - temperature + human population growth
  • Assess resilience and vulnerabilities of system to future scenarios
  • Propose strategies for sustainability and resilience

What to do for Stage 5?

Grading Information and Rubric for Final Capstone Paper:

Rubric
Criteria 9 6 3 1
Completeness of paper & all supporting documents: Conforms to all instructions and guidelines All specific instructions are met and exceeded; no components are omitted. Most instructions are met with only 1 to 2 minor omissions Some components are present with the omission of several key elements Missing most components of the project, minimal conformity to guidelines.
Identification of the key food systems of the region Clearly and thoroughly identifies the regional food systems with a clear application of material from Modules 1, 2, & 10 Satisfactory identification of the regional food systems some mention of material from modules 1, 2, & 10 Minimal identification of the regional food systems some mention of material from modules 1, 2, & 10 Little to no identification of the regional food systems some mention of material from modules 1, 2, & 10
Assessment of the regional food system and the physical environment of the region (water resources, soils, crops, climate) Thoroughly articulates specified elements with in-depth & accurate application of key concepts from Modules 4, 5, 6 & 9 Satisfactory articulation of specified elements with some application of key concepts from Modules 4, 5, 6 & 9 Minimal articulation of specified elements with little application of key concepts from Modules 4, 5, 6 & 9 Little to no articulation and application of key concepts from Modules 4, 5, 6 & 9
Analysis of the resilience of the regional food system based on data and facts Thoughtful and thorough consideration of potential vulnerabilities using concepts from Module 11 Satisfactory consideration of potential vulnerabilities using concepts from Module 11 Minimal consideration of potential vulnerabilities with little use of concepts from Module 11 Little to no consideration of potential vulnerabilities with little use of concepts from Module 11
Proposes reasonable strategies for sustainability and resilience based on data and facts Clearly develops viable & insightful strategies with well‐ supported data & research Develops viable strategies supported by some data and research Develops minimal strategies supported with limited data and research Little to no strategies provided or not supported by data and research
Criteria 5 3 2 1
Overall professionalism and timing Advanced ‐ no typos, or grammatical concerns, attention to detail with superior effort demonstrated A solid effort with few typos, or grammatical concerns, attention to detail evident with some effort demonstrated Minimal effort with numerous typos, or grammatical concerns, little attention to detail minimal effort demonstrated Little to no effort demonstrated with extensive typos, or grammatical concerns, little to no to attention to detail
Total Points
(out of 50)
  1. Summary of Current Regional Food System
    • Summarize the data and information that you’ve gathered throughout the semester about your assigned regional food system(s) and the interaction between those food systems and the environment, as well as any relevant socioeconomic, cultural and policy factors.
    • Provide an overview of the current status of your assigned regional food system(s). Summarize the data and information that you acquired in the previous modules to present the current status of your regional food system. Details are provided in the Stage 5 worksheet document.
  2. Discussion of future scenarios
    • What are projections for regional human population growth in your assigned region?
    • What are the projections for temperature increases in your assigned region?
  3. Analysis of the resilience of future food system
    • Provide a discussion of the resilience of your food system given the potential of increasing human population growth and increasing temperatures.
    • Consider possible impacts of climate change and human population growth on the regional food system and the resilience and/or vulnerability of the food system to those changes.
  4. Proposed strategies for sustainability enhanced resilience
    • Propose strategies that contribute to the increased resilience of your assigned regional food systems in the face of human population growth and rising temperatures and evaporation rates.

Files to Download (if you haven't already done so)

Capstone Project Stage 5: Final Paper Project