Food Security

By the beginning of May students have completed their course-work assessments. The Board of Examiners for the MSc meets in May to ratify the assessments and to determine progression of students to the final stage of the programme, which is the project. This year all students achieved good overall grades for their course-work and several have done very well and are on course to obtain the Masters with a Merit or Distinction award. All the students have started their project, which accounts for one third of the final assessment of the Food Security MSc. Students work full time on their project from the start of May to mid-August. The project is an investigative piece of work undertaken with a supervisor. Potential supervisors suggest topics for projects related to their research interests, and students select from the range of projects available. Students are encouraged to start thinking about possible project topics in November and most make their choices early in the year.

This year it is not possible to undertake laboratory based projects because of laboratory closures resulting from Covid-19. Instead, all projects this year are based on investigations mainly using online resources. Examples of projects being undertaken this year are:

• New technologies for control of insect pests
• African Swine Fever in China
• Waste in grain production in China
• Nutrient sensing and root architecture
• Impact of global food safety-related policies on malnutrition in Africa

These topics illustrate the wide variety of projects. Students submit a report on their project work and writing the report occupies most of the students' time in the latter stages. The project is assessed via the written report, but students also give a presentation on their project and
answer questions from their assessors. Assessment is completed by late August and the final degree awards are agreed at an examiners’ meeting in
early September.

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First published: 27 May 2020