Agricultural Affairs Office
Ecuadorian corn producer
The principle mission of the Agricultural Affairs Office (AAO) in Quito is to promote U.S. exports and other agricultural interests in Ecuador. This includes market development, trade policy and negotiations, Administration initiatives, and the collection and analysis of statistics and market information. A second mission is to strengthen Ecuadorian food security and capacity building. FAS dedicates its time and resources to providing information to U.S. policy makers and U.S. exporters about market conditions, resolving market access issues that limit U.S. exports, and implementing promotional activities, chiefly in cooperation with agricultural trade associations, state-regional trade groups, small businesses and cooperatives.
Training and Trade Capacity Building
FAS aims to promote food security and economic growth in Ecuador by increasing scientific knowledge and collaborative research to improve agricultural productivity FAS has supported a number of scientific exchange and development programs to strengthen the institutional capacity of Ecuadorian agricultural institutions. These activities include Ecuadorian participation in the Cochran Fellowship Program, the Norman E. Borlaug Science and Technology Fellows Program and other research and fellowship programs. Other technical assistance has included pest risk analysis, food defense, and phytosanitary surveillance.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service