The Cochran Fellowship Program (CFP) is administered by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). It
provides U.S.-based agricultural training opportunities for senior and
mid-level specialists and administrators from public and private
sectors who are concerned with agricultural trade, agribusiness
development, management, policy, and marketing.
Twenty five years ago, U.S. Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi
envisioned providing training and support to help developing nations
improve their agricultural systems and strengthen and enhance trade
links with the United States.
Success Stories
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible, a country may be classified as middle-income, an
emerging democracy, or an emerging market. In any case, the
country’s principal agricultural exports must not compete
significantly with U.S. agricultural commodities and products in
international trade.
Training Focus
The program offers short-term training opportunities, most ranging
from two to four weeks, depending on the objectives of the program.
Participants meet with professionals in their fields, participate in
field observations and industry visits, experience on-the-job
training, and attend university courses and seminars. However, no
training will be approved that directly enhances a country's ability
to export goods in competition with the United States.
FAS works closely with CFP and U.S. agricultural trade and market
development associations to identify potential areas of training for
countries participating in the program. Every effort is made to match U.S.
agricultural interests with those of recipient countries.
Program Design
Each program reflects a philosophy that training should provide
participants with sound technical knowledge and the opportunity to
test and practice new skills in practical situations. Therefore,
most programs offer a mixture of technical instruction, practical
field observations, and "hands-on" experience. Programs are
specially designed in accordance with the training objectives
discussed during interviews with candidates and the recommendations
of the respective FAS foreign agricultural affairs officer.
Applicant Eligibility
Program participation is open to the staff of agribusinesses,
government departments, universities, and other agricultural
organizations. In their own countries, applicants may be managers,
technicians, scientists, professors, administrators, or policy
makers. All participants must be in good health. Applicants are
strongly advised to have a thorough physical exam prior to traveling
to the United States. Participants who are proficient in the oral
and written usage of the English language are preferred.
Selection Procedures
Program Announcement Each Fiscal Year FAS offices submit
priority training topics to the CFP according to their individual country
strategies. After review in Washington, allocations of CFP training slots
are finalized and country offices begin recruitment of candidates.
Applications
Applications are required to be completed in English (preferably
typed) and should be submitted to the country’s FAS Agricultural
Affairs officer. The officer will conduct an initial screening of
applications to determine whether the proposed study program is
appropriate and fulfills program requirements. The application
must include a detailed description of the training request.
Interviews
A final pool of applicants will be selected and interviewed during
country visits or by telephone by CFP staff.
Committee Selection
Final approval of CFP candidates will be made by a USDA committee on
the basis of a candidate's qualifications, FAS officer
recommendations, an interview, and country specific training needs.
Award Announcement
CFP will notify the FAS officer who of the recipients. The FAS officer
will notify individual recipients.
Training Schedule
Training will take place as soon as the appropriate training
program can be arranged. The Cochran Fellowship Program officer
selects training sites on the basis of (1) seasonal variances and
growing seasons, (2) trainer availability, and (3) schedules at
training sites.
International Travel
The program does not fund international travel to and from the
participating country, except in the following countries: Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Evaluation
Program participants are expected to submit either an oral or
written evaluation to their program officer upon completion of their
training.
Follow-Up
After the training program is completed, trainers and program
participants correspond with one another to ensure the objectives of
the training were met. This type of relationship is strongly
encouraged to extend the training benefits to all involved.
For more information, contact:
Cochran Fellowship Program
USDA/FAS/OCBD/Trade and Scientific Exchanges Division
14th and Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250-1086
Telephone: (202) 690-1734
Fax: (202) 690-0349
E-mail:
CochranFellowship@fas.usda.gov