Date of Graduation

5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Accounting

Advisor/Mentor

Leflar, Charles

Abstract

The United States and Ireland have varying practices to achieve similar objectives in regard to environmental sustainability. While the European Union has maintained and updated a uniform policy throughout its existence--the Common Agricultural Policy--the United States instead created short-term solutions to a long-term problem. Not only does the United States tend to solve issues in the short-term, the policies between agricultural production and environmental sustainability are not necessarily aligned or remotely relative to the other. While the United States’ new Global Food Security Strategy implements parts of both agricultural and environmental sustainability, much of the history was not based off of integration between the two. By creating farm bills and environmental sustainability policies separately, it is difficult and inefficient to create and maintain two differing sets of objectives and procedures, when instead, they could be used in tandem and create a higher quality result like Ireland's CAP. The 2021 reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy, though, effectively resemble the business concept of aligning goals among shareholders and employees of a company. By allowing member states to create individual strategic plans designed for their own population, the European Union is passively achieving its environmental sustainability goals through the work of the people. The concept of the European Union working in conjunction with the citizens to achieve similar goals outlined in the Common Agricultural Policy is only improving the quality of life for Europeans and the surrounding environment. Ultimately, the United States struggles with producing legislation in the best interest of production, revenue, political standing, and short-term financial goals. Ireland, on the other hand, has been given a guide as to which practices to follow to achieve specific, meaningful goals that invests not only in the country as a whole, but most importantly, in the community. While the governmental structures within the European Union and the United States are very different, they both ultimately are attempting to create a positive impact on the sustainability of agriculture and the environment as a whole.

Keywords

Policy; environment; agriculture; sustainability; strategy; integration

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