Cochran Fellowship
Program
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 that are concerned with agricultural
trade, agribusiness development, management, policy, and marketing.
Almost 20 years ago, U.S. Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi envisioned providing
training and support to help developing nations improve their agricultural
systems and strengthens and enhances trade links with the United States.
Since its inception in 1984, the program has provided U.S.- based training
for over 9,400 international participants from 87 countries worldwide.
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 weeks to three months, 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 CFP will announce the program for
each eligible country at the start of each fiscal year.
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 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,
Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, 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:
FAS Office, US Embassy Belgrade
Tel. 381-11-306-4802
Fax. 381-11-306-4922
e-mail: Agbelgrade@usda.gov
or visit: http://www.fas.usda.gov/icd/food-industries/cfp/index.html
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