Project Overview
Use this page to assess environmental and waste management practice on the farm, identify strengths and weaknesses, and prepare a short improvement brief.
- Focus on practical, low-cost changes that protect resources and make a visible difference.
- Use farm evidence to identify where practice is strong and where it can improve.
- Turn findings into clear actions for the business and your portfolio.
Workplace Activities
- Walk the farm and assess soil management, water protection, biodiversity, waste, nutrient use and energy/resource use.
- Take clear photos and short notes about what is working well and what could be improved.
- Fill in the table with strengths, weaknesses, evidence and recommended actions.
- Identify two or three practical improvements that are realistic for the farm.
- Write a short reflection about what you found, what surprised you and how the farm could improve.
Work through the checklist on farm, take notes and photos, then copy the final version into OneFile.
Audit Table
Use this as the working record for your walkaround, risk checking and improvement plan.
| Area / item | Current measure / description | Recommended action / improvement |
|---|---|---|
| Soil management | Testing, compaction, drainage and cultivation practice. | Reduce compaction, review traffic routes and protect soil structure. |
| Water management | Runoff, clean troughs and water protection measures. | Add buffers, redirect runoff or improve water control. |
| Biodiversity and habitat | Hedges, margins, nesting and wildlife areas. | Create or improve wildlife-friendly features. |
| Waste management | Plastic, chemicals and general waste handling. | Improve segregation, storage and disposal routines. |
| Nutrient management | Manure, slurry and fertiliser planning. | Review rates, timing and record keeping. |
| Energy and resource use | Lighting, irrigation, fuel and water use. | Cut waste, monitor use and improve efficiency. |
Evidence & Improvement Ideas
- Farm walk observations and checklist notes
- Photographic evidence of current practice and risk points
- Discussions with managers and staff
- Completed audit table with recommended actions
- One-Risk, One-Fix improvement activity
- Learning journal reflection and summary report to OneFile
- Soil improvement example: reduce unnecessary traffic, subsoil compacted areas and improve drainage.
- Water protection example: protect ditches, separate clean and dirty water, and reduce runoff risk.
- Wildlife example: improve field margins, nesting cover or practical habitat areas.
Employer Discussion
- During my environmental audit, I discovered that...
- One of the farm's main environmental strengths is...
- An area that could be improved is...
- I was surprised to find that...
- The checklist helped me notice that...
- A simple change that could make a big difference is...
- The farm could improve biodiversity by...
- This task made me think differently about...
- I will now pay more attention to... when working on the farm.
Environment: Analyse Understand Report
Project Brief
Using your environment audit findings, write a summary that explains current strengths, key risks and practical improvements for the farm. Use evidence about soil, water, habitats, waste, nutrients and energy/resource use to show how improvements support sustainability and business performance.
Checklist of what to include
- A short overview of environmental management on the farm
- Main strengths and examples of good current practice
- Key risks or weak points identified during the audit
- Two or three practical improvements and why they matter
- Expected impact on sustainability, compliance and efficiency
- Your reflection on what you learned and what you would do next
Sentence starters
- "The strongest part of the farm's environmental practice is... because..."
- "A key risk I identified was... which could affect..."
- "A realistic improvement would be... and this would help by..."
- "The evidence from my audit suggests that..."
- "If this change is implemented, the likely benefit will be..."