USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service: Cochran Fellowship Grant for U.S. Dry Beans Training in Central America

The Cochran Fellowship Program’s Latin America and Caribbean Region is requesting the design and delivery of a training program for a cohort of up to seven Fellows from Costa Rica and seven Fellows from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras for a total of 14 Fellows.

BACKGROUND

Since 1984, the U.S. Congress has made funds available to the Cochran Fellowship Program for training agriculturalists from middle-income countries, emerging markets, and emerging democracies. Training opportunities are for senior and mid-level specialists and administrators working in agricultural trade and policy, agribusiness development, management, animal, plant, and food sciences, extension services, agricultural marketing, and many other areas. Individuals selected for Cochran trainings come from both the public and private sectors. All training occurs in the United States. Training programs are designed and organized in conjunction with U.S. universities, USDA and other government agencies, agribusinesses, and consultants. The Cochran Fellowship Program is part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Since its start in 1984, the Cochran Fellowship Program has provided U.S.-based training for over 19,000 international participants from 126 countries worldwide.

SCOPE

The program should provide participants with a thorough understanding of the different varieties and uses of U.S. dry beans. In particular, USDA notes an opportunity to introduce dry bean products as ingredients in processed foods.

The program should provide the Fellows an overview of the U.S. dry bean industry showcasing the quality, nutritional value, and versatility of U.S. dry beans. Topics should provide an overview of U.S. dry beans including variety and quality. The program should expose Fellows to the dry bean supply chain, farming practices and technology, storage, processing, grading, and inspection procedures. Additional topics should include U.S. dry bean market trends and practices, use of dry beans, and ingredients for processed products. The training program should include visits to farms, processing facilities, and retailers as well as a meeting with the U.S. Dry Bean Export Council. The program should occur in the Spring in time for Fellows to observe the dry bean planting season. The objective of the program is to educate the Fellows on U.S. dry beans, their varieties, and their uses. The goal of the program is to increase the Fellows’ capacity for understanding applications of agricultural research, extension, and teaching; and to increase trade linkages between Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and the United States.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The recipient will ensure that the Fellows increase their knowledge in the following areas:

• Production and supply chain

• Dry bean varieties

• Quality specifications

• Nutritional value of U.S. dry beans

• Using dry beans as ingredients

• Dry bean consumer products

• Market and retail trends

• New product development