Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 23 0008
The FY2023 Cochran Fellowship Program is a discretionary U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) grant opportunity that funds short-term, targeted training programs for agricultural professionals from middle-income countries, emerging markets, and emerging democracies. Congress has supported the Cochran Fellowship Program since 1984, and the core idea is capacity building: bringing senior- and mid-level specialists and administrators to learn U.S. approaches, technologies, and management practices that can be applied back home. The training focus spans a wide range of agricultural fields, including agricultural trade and policy, agribusiness development, management, animal, plant, and food sciences, extension services, marketing, and other related areas. Awards are made through cooperative agreements, meaning the government expects substantial involvement and collaboration with the award recipient in carrying out the project.
From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is identified as "FY2023 Cochran Fellowship Program" under Funding Opportunity Number USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 23 0008 and CFDA (Assistance Listing) 10.962, categorized under Agriculture. The opportunity was posted July 12, 2023, with an original application deadline of August 25, 2023. The expected number of awards is 29, and the listed award ceiling is $150,000. Eligibility is broadly described as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced in the full notice (the summary text points applicants to an "Additional Information on Eligibility" section for clarification), which typically means the program may be open to organizations capable of designing and delivering specialized international training, rather than limited to a narrow set of applicant types.
Programmatically, the FY2023 solicitation is organized around specific training topics and country (or regional) groupings, with scopes of work (SOWs) and learning objectives provided in an appendix. The listed training themes show two big through-lines. First, there is a strong emphasis on climate-smart agriculture and resilience, reflected in offerings such as Climate Smart Agriculture for Vietnam, Effective Implementation of Climate Smart Agricultural Technology for Thailand, Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices and Extension for Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Guyana, Building Resilience through Climate-Smart Agriculture for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Climate Smart Agriculture and Food Systems Innovation for Serbia, and an Overview of Climate-Smart Agriculture for Turkey. Second, there is a clear biotechnology and science-based policy track, including Adoption of Biotechnology and Science-Based Agricultural Policy for a multi-country group in East and Central Africa (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda), Biotechnology Adoption and Biosafety for Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, and Biotechnology Policies, Management, and Public Outreach for Argentina and Paraguay. These tracks signal that the program is not only about farm-level techniques, but also about regulatory systems, policy implementation, and institutional capacity to support modern agricultural innovation.
Beyond those cross-cutting priorities, the opportunity includes highly sector-specific trainings designed to strengthen value chains, post-harvest handling, and market development. Examples include Community Based Aquaculture Development for Senegal; Post-Harvest and Storage Handling of U.S. Grains for the Dominican Republic; Stock Inventory Management for Peru and Ecuador; and a Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Initiative spanning Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru. There are also a number of market- and product-oriented courses that connect participants to U.S. supply chains and commercial practices, such as U.S. Tree Nuts as Food Ingredients for Brazil and Promotion of U.S. Tree Nuts for Turkey, Promotion and Marketing of U.S. Seafood for Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and Togo, U.S. Sweets and Snacks for Bangladesh, Marketing and Grading of U.S. Hardwood for Pakistan, Utilization of American Softwood for Vietnam, and an Overview of U.S. East Coast Seafood and New Species for the People's Republic of China. In addition, there are hospitality and foodservice-focused trainings, including Hotel Foodservice Industry Trends and Best Practices for Mexico (including a Monterrey-specific listing) and an Introduction to U.S. Gastronomy and Food Ingredients for Colombia, along with a Food Service Chef Training Program for the People's Republic of China. The inclusion of private label and ingredient-focused topics, such as U.S. Private Label Management for the People's Republic of China and Feed Ingredients for Aquaculture and Animal Husbandry for the People's Republic of China, further underscores the program's practical emphasis on trade, procurement, product utilization, and market positioning.
Several trainings explicitly center on women and entrepreneurship, indicating a workforce and inclusive economic development component in addition to technical agriculture. These include Women in Agriculture Entrepreneurship for Food Processing, Packaging and Value Chain for India and Women in Agriculture Entrepreneurship and Food Production for Serbia. Finally, animal health and disease management appears as a dedicated topic for Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighting that biosecurity and veterinary systems are also within scope when they align with the program's capacity-building goals.
Overall, this grant opportunity funds organizations to design and deliver specialized training programs tailored to clearly defined country audiences and learning objectives. The intended outcomes are improved technical knowledge, stronger institutions and policies (especially around biotechnology and climate-smart approaches), and enhanced market and value-chain capabilities that support agricultural development and, in many cases, facilitate more informed engagement with U.S. agricultural products, standards, and commercial practices.Apply for USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 23 0008
- The Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY2023 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 Jul 12, 2023.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 25, 2023. (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 29 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): FY2023 Cochran Fellowship Program (USDA FAS)
What is the FY2023 Cochran Fellowship Program?
The FY2023 Cochran Fellowship Program is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). It supports short-term, targeted training programs for agricultural professionals from eligible countries, with an emphasis on building capacity by exposing participants to U.S. approaches, technologies, and management practices they can apply in their home countries.
What is the main purpose of this grant opportunity?
The program is designed for capacity building. It brings senior- and mid-level specialists and administrators to learn practical U.S. methods and systems across agriculture-related fields, with the goal of strengthening technical knowledge, institutions, policy implementation, and value-chain and market capabilities in participating countries.
Who is this program intended to benefit?
The trainings are intended for agricultural professionals from middle-income countries, emerging markets, and emerging democracies, particularly senior- and mid-level specialists and administrators who can apply what they learn to improve practices, policies, and systems in their home countries.
What types of activities does the program fund?
The program funds organizations to design and deliver short-term, targeted training programs aligned to specific training topics and specific country or regional audiences. The solicitation includes scopes of work (SOWs) and learning objectives (provided in an appendix) that define what each training should cover and who it should serve.
What agricultural fields or subject areas can be covered under this program?
The training focus spans a wide range of agricultural fields, including agricultural trade and policy, agribusiness development and management, animal, plant, and food sciences, extension services, marketing, and related areas. The opportunity also includes policy and regulatory capacity building in areas such as biotechnology and science-based policy.
What is meant by awards being made through cooperative agreements?
A cooperative agreement indicates that the U.S. Government expects substantial involvement and collaboration with the award recipient in carrying out the project. In practice, this means the government is not only providing funding but also expects active coordination and engagement during implementation.
What is the funding opportunity number for this grant?
The Funding Opportunity Number listed is USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 23 0008.
What is the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number for this program?
The program is listed under CFDA (Assistance Listing) 10.962.
What category is this funding opportunity listed under?
The opportunity is categorized under Agriculture.
When was this funding opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on July 12, 2023.
What was the original application deadline?
The original application deadline listed in the summary is August 25, 2023.
How many awards does USDA expect to make?
The expected number of awards is 29.
What is the maximum award amount?
The listed award ceiling is $150,000.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broadly described as "Others," and the summary directs applicants to an "Additional Information on Eligibility" section in the full notice for clarification. Based on the summary description, the opportunity is generally oriented toward organizations capable of designing and delivering specialized international training programs, rather than being limited to a narrow applicant type.
Are the trainings tied to specific countries or regions?
Yes. The FY2023 solicitation is organized around specific training topics and country (or regional) groupings, with defined scopes of work and learning objectives. Examples include single-country trainings (such as Vietnam or Thailand) and multi-country groupings (such as multiple countries in East and Central Africa, or groups in the Caribbean and Latin America).
What are the major thematic priorities in the listed training topics?
The listed topics show two strong cross-cutting priorities: (1) climate-smart agriculture and resilience, and (2) biotechnology and science-based agricultural policy. In addition, the solicitation includes sector-specific and market-oriented trainings that emphasize value chains, post-harvest handling, procurement, and marketing.
What are examples of climate-smart agriculture and resilience training topics?
Examples listed include Climate Smart Agriculture for Vietnam; Effective Implementation of Climate Smart Agricultural Technology for Thailand; Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices and Extension for Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Guyana; Building Resilience through Climate-Smart Agriculture for Bosnia and Herzegovina; Climate Smart Agriculture and Food Systems Innovation for Serbia; and an Overview of Climate-Smart Agriculture for Turkey.
What are examples of biotechnology and science-based policy training topics?
Examples listed include Adoption of Biotechnology and Science-Based Agricultural Policy for a multi-country group in East and Central Africa (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda); Biotechnology Adoption and Biosafety for Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras; and Biotechnology Policies, Management, and Public Outreach for Argentina and Paraguay.
Does the program focus only on farm-level techniques?
No. The summary indicates the program includes not only production and technical practices but also regulatory systems, policy implementation, and institutional capacity building, especially in areas like biotechnology governance and climate-smart approaches.
Are there trainings that focus on value chains, post-harvest handling, and operations?
Yes. Examples listed include Community Based Aquaculture Development for Senegal; Post-Harvest and Storage Handling of U.S. Grains for the Dominican Republic; and Stock Inventory Management for Peru and Ecuador.
What is the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Initiative training mentioned in the opportunity?
The summary notes a training titled Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Initiative that spans Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru, indicating a multi-country focus connected to climate-smart commodities and related collaboration and market development themes.
Are there trainings that connect participants to U.S. supply chains, products, or commercial practices?
Yes. The opportunity includes multiple market- and product-oriented courses tied to U.S. standards and commercial practices, including topics such as U.S. tree nuts, U.S. seafood promotion, U.S. sweets and snacks, marketing and grading of U.S. hardwood, utilization of American softwood, and an overview of U.S. East Coast seafood and new species.
What are examples of trainings related to U.S. tree nuts?
Examples listed include U.S. Tree Nuts as Food Ingredients for Brazil and Promotion of U.S. Tree Nuts for Turkey.
What are examples of trainings related to seafood?
Examples listed include Promotion and Marketing of U.S. Seafood for Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and Togo, and an Overview of U.S. East Coast Seafood and New Species for the People's Republic of China.
Are hospitality and foodservice trainings included?
Yes. The summary lists hospitality and foodservice-focused trainings such as Hotel Foodservice Industry Trends and Best Practices for Mexico (including a Monterrey-specific listing), an Introduction to U.S. Gastronomy and Food Ingredients for Colombia, and a Food Service Chef Training Program for the People's Republic of China.
Does the opportunity include trainings related to private label, ingredients, or procurement practices?
Yes. The summary mentions U.S. Private Label Management for the People's Republic of China and Feed Ingredients for Aquaculture and Animal Husbandry for the People's Republic of China, reflecting a practical emphasis on procurement, product utilization, and market positioning.
Are there trainings focused on women and entrepreneurship?
Yes. The opportunity includes trainings that explicitly center on women and entrepreneurship, such as Women in Agriculture Entrepreneurship for Food Processing, Packaging and Value Chain for India and Women in Agriculture Entrepreneurship and Food Production for Serbia.
Does the program include animal health or disease management topics?
Yes. The summary notes animal health and disease management as a dedicated topic for Bosnia and Herzegovina, indicating that biosecurity and veterinary systems may be included when aligned with the program's capacity-building goals.
What kinds of outcomes is this program aiming for?
The intended outcomes described include improved technical knowledge, stronger institutions and policies (notably around biotechnology and climate-smart approaches), and enhanced market and value-chain capabilities. The summary also indicates that many trainings support more informed engagement with U.S. agricultural products, standards, and commercial practices.
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