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APHIS Strategic Plan 2010-2015
Message from the Administrator
I am pleased to present the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Strategic Plan for 2010-2015. The United States—including the agriculture community—has faced many challenges and changes over the past several years: the global financial crises of 2008-2009, high unemployment rates, and the overall decline in global trade during this timeframe, the first since 1982. Addressing and managing these challenges and changes requires special attention from all of us who work in and with the agriculture community. At the same time, APHIS faces significant budgetary reductions in the years to come, and we must determine how to reduce spending while ensuring we maintain effective delivery of our core mission activities. We cannot continue business as usual.
Over the next 5 years, APHIS will make use of this strategic plan to manage its resources in a way that delivers the best outcomes, in the most cost effective manner, for everyone affected by its programs. The plan will help us to focus on our core missions areas, while finding ways to redesign and streamline processes and organizational structure to improve efficiencies.
APHIS has long been a performance-based organization that values the ideals of diversity, transparency, and inclusion; however we know that there is always room for improvement. Consequently, APHIS leaders have made cultural transformation a top priority. With its cultural transformation efforts, the agency is improving organizational performance through strong leadership, open communication, and employee engagement; providing civil rights services to APHIS employees and customer; the delivery of timely and cost-effective products and services; transparent and objective decision-making; and engagement and collaboration with stakeholders and other citizens. In today’s world, States, tribes, industry groups, and small and non-traditional producers play an ever-increasing role in APHIS issues and decisions. Without good collaboration, APHIS would not be able to accomplish all that we do.
The APHIS Strategic Plan for 2010-2015 differs from previous plans by shifting its focus to more broadly defined priorities and maximizing the agency’s available resources. These priorities align with those of the Secretary of Agriculture: supporting rural communities; protecting forests, rangelands, and private lands; expanding opportunities to develop and trade safe agricultural products, including biotechnology-derived agricultural products; and minimizing and preventing damage to the U.S. food supply from plant and animal pests and diseases. For each of these priorities, we have identified desired outcomes and the best means and strategies to achieve them.
I encourage you to take a close look at your program strategic plans and identify ways in which you can further align with the USDA and APHIS priorities. And most of all, I look forward to working with you to meet our evolving challenges as we continue to protect and promote the health and viability of American agriculture.
Gregory L. Parham, Administrator
USDA-APHIS
- APHIS 2010-2015 Strategic Plan