UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 2021 INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM | USDA FAS 10619 0700 10 21 0002

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FAS 10619 0700 10 21 0002

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), offered the 2021 International Agricultural Education Fellowship Program (IAEFP) as a discretionary funding opportunity designed to help developing countries build or strengthen school-based agricultural education and youth extension systems. The program is authorized under the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-334, Section 3307). In practical terms, USDA funds organizations to recruit and manage a cohort of qualified U.S. agricultural professionals who spend an extended period working alongside host-country partners to develop curriculum, deliver instruction, and support hands-on agricultural learning and youth development models similar to those used in the United States.

The program’s priorities are framed around three connected goals. First, it aims to cultivate a diverse pipeline of globally minded U.S. agriculturalists by giving them meaningful, long-term experience living and working abroad. Second, it seeks to help partner countries improve their capacity to meet domestic food and fiber needs by strengthening education, practical training, and extension-style support for young people and local communities. Third, it is meant to reinforce and expand agricultural trade linkages between participating countries and the U.S. agricultural sector, positioning agricultural education and workforce development as part of broader economic and market relationships. Proposals are expected to include a mix of classroom instruction, field demonstrations, entrepreneurship activities, and leadership development, rather than focusing on a single teaching approach.

Applicants are expected to design proposals that are clearly tailored to a specific country context, including an honest assessment of the host country’s interest in the program and the local policies or administrative steps that could affect implementation. USDA signals that strong proposals will show clear host-country buy-in, meaning the government, agricultural community, and local authorities should demonstrate support and a willingness to collaborate in executing the fellowship activities. A key expectation is that the award recipient will provide fellows with a suggested curriculum adapted to the host country’s needs. Training topics should align with both USDA priorities and the partner country’s agricultural policy, development plans, and extension goals, while also incorporating climate-smart agriculture concepts and content that supports or encourages bilateral agricultural trade.

The fellowship model centers on placing U.S. fellows in-country for an extended period, typically aligned with the local academic year. Fellows must be U.S. citizens with at least a bachelor’s degree in an agriculture-related field, plus relevant agricultural experience and the ability to contribute to curriculum or program development. Fellows are also expected to understand U.S. school-based agricultural education and youth extension approaches. An important structural requirement is that the National FFA Organization and the National 4-H Council must be consulted in the U.S. fellow selection process, reflecting the program’s emphasis on youth leadership and extension-style learning models. After an award is made, the recipient organization is responsible for running an organized recruitment and application process to identify fellows, using FFA and 4-H representatives as subject matter experts on the selection panel. The recipient must identify these FFA and 4-H panel representatives within 30 days after negotiations, and all final fellow selections must be submitted to USDA for final concurrence.

From a funding and scale standpoint, USDA anticipated making up to two awards, with each award expected to support up to nine fellows. The maximum award amount (ceiling) listed for this opportunity is $500,000. The fellowship period is expected to last about 8 to 9 months, generally matching the academic calendar in the priority country. Even though each fellow may be assigned to a specific site within the country, USDA emphasizes that fellows should operate as a cohesive cohort, so applicants should propose a management and technical approach that supports coordination, shared learning, and consistent program delivery across sites.

For place of performance in FY 2021, USDA identified the Northern Triangle of Central America as the priority region, aligning with the February 2, 2021 Executive Order focused on addressing root causes of migration. Applicants could submit proposals for one or more Northern Triangle countries, but each proposal needed to be country-specific rather than a one-size-fits-all regional plan. USDA also noted that awards could be limited or withheld for particular countries depending on changing security conditions, and that agreements could be amended as circumstances evolve. Because of the operational realities in the region, proposals were required to demonstrate that security risks had been assessed and to lay out concrete measures to protect fellows and other participants.

Finally, USDA encouraged applicants to coordinate with other U.S. government or USDA-funded programs already operating in-country, both to avoid duplication and to build on existing relationships and infrastructure. Examples listed include the Borlaug Fellowship Program, the Cochran Fellowship Program, Food for Progress, McGovern-Dole Food for Education, and Local and Regional Procurement programs, as well as USAID or other U.S. government initiatives. Award recipients are also expected to coordinate closely with relevant FAS overseas posts and U.S. Embassy personnel on programmatic issues and to provide regular implementation updates to USDA and FAS representatives. Key administrative details included an opportunity number of USDA FAS 10619 0700 10 21 0002, a CFDA listing of 10.619, eligibility that included public and state-controlled universities, private institutions of higher education, and other eligible entities as defined in the full notice, and an original application closing date of June 17, 2021.

• The Department of Agriculture, International Agricultural Educ Fellowship 10.619 in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 2021 INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.619.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 10, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 17, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for USDA FAS 10619 0700 10 21 0002

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