Short writing #2 (Supply chain challenge)

Assignment 2 (Supply chain challenge)

Please submit to Assignments as a Word Doc, not pdf, and use your surname as the first part of the file name. In the entry itself include a title, your name; double-spaced text, 12-pt font, 1″ margins, page numbers.

All components of the food chain, from food production through food processing, to retailing and distribution to consumption and waste are impacted by accelerated climate variability. In this short paper (6-7 pages, double-space, with descriptive title, page numbers, robust sources and possible diagrams) pick a food item or crop and explore its supply chain. Identify its source (organism and geographic origin) and its consumers. How might its availability be impacted (or not) by the twin forces of globalization and climate change? What impact do environmental, social and economic considerations have on the product? Be sure to properly use and cite your sources.

Present your argument (your thesis), develop it, and support it with evidence from your sources (be sure to include academically rigorous sources along with any more popular sources).

Various stages and processes that a crop goes through from cultivation to the end consumer may include:

*Cultivation and harvesting

*Processing and packaging

*Transportation (envir. impact and efficiency of methods)

*Distribution and storage (wholesalers to retailers)

*Retail (grocery stores? farmers’ markets? Online?)

*Consumption (specific consumption patterns or preferences? waste mgt?)

*Regulatory framework?

*Role of technology and innovation at different stages of supply chain?

*Environmental and social impact? (water use, pesticide, carbon footprint, labor conditions, transparency, traceability)