Cochran Fellowship Program – U.S. Dry Beans Processing, Promotion, and Marketing for Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras | USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 23 0001

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 23 0001

This grant opportunity, titled "Cochran Fellowship Program - U.S. Dry Beans Processing, Promotion, and Marketing for Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras," comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), under the long-running Cochran Fellowship Program. The award supports one organization to design and deliver a U.S.-based training program focused on the U.S. dry bean industry for a small group of Latin American professionals. The overall intent is practical and trade-oriented: build participants' technical and market knowledge about U.S. dry beans, expand their ability to apply research and extension concepts back home, and strengthen commercial linkages between the United States and the participating countries.

The training is meant for a cohort of up to 14 Fellows total: up to seven Fellows from Costa Rica and up to seven Fellows combined from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Cochran Fellows are typically senior or mid-level specialists and administrators drawn from both the public and private sectors, often working in areas like agricultural trade and policy, agribusiness development, agricultural marketing, and related plant and food science fields. All training takes place in the United States and is typically organized through partnerships that can include U.S. universities, USDA and other government agencies, agribusiness companies, and subject-matter consultants. Historically, the Cochran Fellowship Program has operated since 1984 and has trained more than 19,000 participants from 126 countries, which signals that this opportunity fits into an established model of short-term, hands-on professional training tied to U.S. agriculture and trade.

The scope of work centers on giving Fellows a full picture of how U.S. dry beans move from farm to market, and how they can be positioned not only as a commodity but also as an ingredient for processed food products. USDA specifically highlights an opportunity to introduce dry bean products as ingredients in processed foods, so the training is not limited to production basics; it is also expected to cover value-added applications, consumer products, and market practices that influence demand. The program should showcase the quality, nutritional value, and versatility of U.S. dry beans, while also explaining the different U.S. dry bean varieties and their end uses.

Content is expected to be comprehensive across the supply chain. Fellows should learn about farming practices and technologies used in U.S. dry bean production, as well as post-harvest handling topics such as storage systems, processing steps, grading standards, and inspection procedures. Beyond operations, the program should cover market and retail trends, how dry beans are used in the U.S. marketplace, and how companies approach new product development, especially where beans are incorporated into processed foods. A key element is exposure to real-world settings, so the program should include site visits to farms, processing facilities, and retailers. It must also include a meeting with the U.S. Dry Bean Export Council, which anchors the training in export market perspectives and helps Fellows understand how U.S. industry groups support international trade.

Timing matters for this opportunity. The training is expected to occur in the Spring so that Fellows can observe the dry bean planting season, which reinforces the practical, field-based learning approach. The stated objective is straightforward: educate Fellows on U.S. dry beans, their varieties, and their uses. The broader goal is capacity building that translates into stronger understanding of agricultural research, extension, and teaching applications in the Fellows' home contexts, while also increasing trade linkages between Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and the United States.

The learning objectives are spelled out clearly and should drive the curriculum design. By the end of the program, Fellows should have increased knowledge of production and the supply chain, dry bean varieties, quality specifications, nutritional value, the use of dry beans as ingredients, dry bean consumer products, market and retail trends, and new product development. In other words, the training is expected to blend technical production knowledge with commercial and product innovation insight, giving participants a usable understanding of how U.S. dry beans are produced, evaluated for quality, marketed, and adapted for evolving consumer and processing needs.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this is a discretionary USDA FAS opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 23 0001) categorized under Agriculture (CFDA 10.962). Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, both public/state-controlled and private, reflecting the program's common reliance on university capacity to convene experts, arrange site visits, and deliver structured training. The anticipated award ceiling is $140,000, with one expected award, meaning the selected recipient would be responsible for end-to-end program design and delivery for the full cohort. The opportunity was originally posted with a creation date of November 7, 2022, and an original closing date of January 18, 2023.

• The Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cochran Fellowship Program – U.S. Dry Beans Processing, Promotion, and Marketing for Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.962.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 07, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 18, 2023. (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 $140,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for USDA FAS 10962 0700 10 23 0001

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