Project Purpose

Status:	Draft
Source file:	AGENTS.md
Sensitivity review:	Completed
Purpose:	State the reason for the assessment in publishable form.

This project tests whether industrial hemp represents a commercially viable and environmentally beneficial opportunity for agricultural producers, regional communities and Granite Borders Landcare within the Granite Borders region.

It is not a promotional project and it is not an opposition project. Its role is to test claims, identify trade-offs and support a defensible decision based on evidence.

Decision Standard

The assessment must be useful to people who need to make practical decisions.

Audience	What the assessment needs to support
Farmers and landholders	Whether hemp is a realistic enterprise option under regional conditions.
Landcare members	Whether hemp aligns with environmental and community priorities.
Industry participants	Whether demand, processing and supply-chain pathways are credible.
Researchers	Whether evidence claims are traceable and appropriately qualified.
Government agencies	Whether regional, regulatory and policy context has been handled carefully.
Executive decision-makers	Whether risks, opportunities and uncertainties are clear enough for action.

What The Project Must Do

Requirement	Meaning
Be objective	Do not assume hemp is beneficial, viable, sustainable or unsuitable.
Use evidence	Prefer measured data, published research, government statistics and verifiable market evidence.
Show trade-offs	Record benefits, costs, risks, limitations and uncertainties.
Compare alternatives	Ask "compared with what?" rather than "is hemp good?"
Separate perspectives	Identify whether findings apply to producers, supply chains, GBLC, the environment or more than one perspective.

Bottom Line

No conclusion should be treated as settled unless it is supported by evidence. The project should identify both opportunities and risks, and it should be clear where confidence is high, medium, low or unknown.