Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 20 0002
The 2020 Cochran Fellowship Program grant opportunity (USDA FAS 10962-0700-10-20-0002) is a discretionary funding announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), seeking organizations that can design and deliver short, intensive, U.S.-based training programs for international Cochran Fellows. These Fellows are typically senior and mid-level specialists and administrators from middle-income countries, emerging markets, and emerging democracies, drawn from both the public and private sectors. The program has been funded by Congress since 1984 and has trained more than 18,900 participants from 126 countries, using partnerships with U.S. universities, USDA and other government agencies, agribusinesses, and specialized consultants. All training supported under this opportunity is expected to take place in the United States, emphasizing applied, real-world exposure to U.S. agricultural systems, regulatory approaches, and trade practices.
The core objective of the Cochran Fellowship Program is capacity building that supports agricultural extension goals in eligible countries while also strengthening and expanding trade linkages between those countries and U.S. agricultural interests. In practical terms, USDA identifies Fellows around country-specific topics that matter to the international agricultural trading system and places them with U.S. host institutions for 1 to 2 week intensive programs. The trainings are meant to be hands-on and scenario-based, giving Fellows direct exposure to U.S. approaches in areas like agricultural trade and policy, agribusiness development, management practices, animal and plant health, food science and food safety, extension services, and agricultural marketing. A distinctive feature is that these programs are also expected to benefit the host institutions by aligning with their research, extension, or teaching agendas, creating opportunities to bring international trade and regulatory issues into classrooms and extension programming, and fostering long-term professional connections after Fellows return home.
A major priority in this specific announcement is the delivery of multiple team- or country-targeted training topics listed in an appendix, with proposals due June 30, 2020 at 11:59 PM EDT. The menu of requested trainings is broad but consistently tied to trade readiness, regulatory systems, supply chain performance, and consumer-oriented market development. Many topics focus on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, technical barriers to trade, food safety systems, inspection and port procedures, and risk-based management for plant and animal products. Examples include overviews of U.S. SPS standards and technical barriers to trade (such as for Albania), food safety regulations and international standards (for groups including Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Haiti, Bangladesh, and the Philippines), and specialized tracks like animal and plant health risk assessment (Sri Lanka) or risk-based management for plant and animal products (Vietnam). Several trainings also emphasize the practical mechanics of trade, such as trade facilitation and import/export procedures (Brazil), and import/export documentation and inspection processes at U.S. ports (for the Dominican Republic and for a multi-country group including Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Brazil), as well as regulatory protocols tied to documentation and sanitary/logistical practices (Malaysia).
Other priorities reflect commodity, value chain, and consumer market themes that can expand commercial ties with U.S. agriculture. The appendix includes requested trainings in grain and staple crop systems (U.S. wheat marketing and promotion for Morocco and Tunisia; U.S. rice marketing for Guatemala and Honduras; the U.S. rice supply chain for Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire; grain procurement and storage management for Algeria), oilseeds and processing (soybean processing for Ethiopia; soybeans processing, marketing, and re-export strategies for Pakistan), and specialized sectors like feed (overview of the U.S. feed sector for Bangladesh). There are also market development and retail-focused topics such as supermarket management and consumer-oriented products (Mexico, Peru, Ecuador), consolidated shipping and distribution of U.S. consumer-oriented products (Nigeria), private label management (China), and supply chain management (China), along with post-harvest handling and loss reduction programs (post-harvest fruit and vegetable management for Mexico; produce post-harvest handling and value chain development for Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and the Caribbean; supply chain and food distribution systems for the Philippines). In addition, the list includes targeted trainings for specific product categories and marketing, such as availability and marketing of U.S. tree nuts and dried fruits (Vietnam), availability and marketing of U.S. seafood (China), and cheese marketing and promotion (Brazil).
The opportunity also signals interest in technical regulatory topics and emerging policy areas that affect trade, including biotechnology communication and policy (Serbia), U.S. regulation of agricultural biotechnology, genetic engineering, and biosafety (Burma), enzyme regulation (Turkey), and eco-friendly U.S. fuel ethanol (Colombia). A notable subset of topics centers on hospitality, culinary, and consumer trend channels that can influence demand for U.S. products, such as U.S. cuisine and culinary arts (Burkina Faso, Mali, The Gambia, Senegal, Guinea), restaurant management (Argentina, Paraguay, Mexico), tourism and hotel/restaurant/institutional sector management (Senegal and The Gambia), and category overviews for alcoholic beverages and inputs (beer, wine, and spirits for Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda; craft beer ingredients and marketing for Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina; craft beer and ingredients for South Africa and Brazil; hops, malt, and yeast management for China; wine and cheese export promotion for Burma). Dairy and livestock themes are also included through trainings like U.S. dairy processing (Mexico), management practices in dairy and livestock operations (Egypt and Jordan), and risk management for U.S. livestock (Algeria), plus laboratory and diagnostic training for animal health and food safety officials (Eastern Caribbean countries).
In terms of applicant eligibility and funding scale, the announcement is open to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and other eligible entities as described in the full notice. The funding instrument type is listed as "Other," reflecting that the support is tied to delivering defined training activities rather than a traditional research grant structure. The award ceiling is $150,000, and USDA anticipated up to 54 awards, suggesting multiple separate training projects rather than one single, centralized program. The opportunity was created April 15, 2020, with an original closing date of September 30, 2020, though the appendix highlights a June 30, 2020 deadline for the team-specific proposals, indicating that timing may depend on the specific training packages requested.
Overall, this grant opportunity is essentially a request for capable U.S. host organizations to build and run short, high-impact training programs that translate U.S. agricultural know-how into practical skills for international decision-makers, while advancing two connected outcomes: stronger agricultural systems abroad (especially in areas tied to food and fiber needs, regulation, and extension) and more effective, standards-aligned trade relationships that support U.S. agricultural engagement in global markets.Apply for USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 20 0002
- The Department of Agriculture, Cochran Fellowship Prog-Intl Trng 10.962 in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2020 Cochran Fellowship Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.962.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 15, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 30, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 54 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Apply for USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 20 0002
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