D3.1 Methodological guidelines and reporting template for the 15 case studies in MATS

The two key questions for the 15 case studies (CS) in MATS are (i) how given trade regimes, investments into agri-food value chains and sustainability standards impact local, and, in some cases, national, and international socioeconomic and environmental conditions, and (ii) how to foster the positive and reduce the negative impacts of agri-food trade and trade policy regimes on sustainable development and human rights.

The CS are implemented in the period 1.7.2022 – 30.1.2024. A first draft report is to be submitted until 30.6.2023 for feedback. The final CS report is due 30.1.2024.

This document provides general methodological guidelines and a common reporting template for the CS analysis. Both build on the results of WP1 and WP2. The aim is to provide a basic framework for the implementation of the CS and to facilitate a comparative analysis and synthesis. At the same time, the guidelines and reporting template are to leave flexibility for CS leads and their partners to deepen specific elements of the analysis and to best describe each case in the sense of a systemic analysis. 

In the implementation of CS, CS leads need to ensure that 

• data management is compliant with the EU’s Guidelines on Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) Data Management in Horizon 2020; 
• all personal data are treated as strictly confidential and processed in compliance with General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679;
• anonymized data from surveys and interviews will be securely stored in a safe location at partners' facilities (internally, anonymized data may be shared) (see also the D7.4 ‘Data Management Plan’ and D8.1-8.3 ‘Ethical Requirements’ on MS Teams).