United States
Department of
Agriculture
Foreign
Agricultural
Service
United States Department of Agriculture
Foreign Agricultural Service
Trade and Scientific Exchanges Division
Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural
Science and Technology
Fellowship Program

United States
Department of
Agriculture
Foreign
Agricultural
Service
Borlaug Fellowship Program
• Named after Dr. Norman E. Borlaug,
Father of the Green Revolution.
• Helps developing and middle-income
countries strengthen sustainable
agricultural practices by providing
scientific training and collaborative
research opportunities for mid-career
researchers, policymakers, and
university faculty.
• The program matches participants with
experts in their field at U.S. host
institutions.

United States
Department of
Agriculture
Foreign
Agricultural
Service
Geographic Coverage 2015

United States
Department of
Agriculture
Foreign
Agricultural
Service
Program Overview
• Fellows Since Inception in 2004: 778 fellows from 64 countries
• Partners & Mentors include: U.S. universities, government
agencies, international research centers, nonprofit institutions and
private companies
• 2014
o 226 applications from 26 countries
o 70 finalists interviewed
o 40 recommended for fellowships
• 2015
o 390 applicants from 42 countries
o Colombia: 12 applications, 6 finalists to interview
• Fellowship Duration: 6-12 weeks

United States
Department of
Agriculture
Foreign
Agricultural
Service
Training Priorities
• Agricultural and Veterinary
Sciences
• Agricultural Economics and
Policy
• Biotechnology
• Food Safety and Sanitary &
Phytosanitary Measures
• Soil and Water Resource
Management
• Trade Capacity Building
Costa Rican Fellow Eduardo Hidalgo
from CATIE conducted research on tree
pest management with Purdue
University and the USDA in 2007.

United States
Department of
Agriculture
Foreign
Agricultural
Service
Training Priorities
• Public/Private partnership with the World Cocoa
Foundation
• Helps countries become more competitive in
producing and exporting cocoa and cocoa
products
• Focus countries
o Africa – Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria
o Asia – India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Vietnam
o Latin America – Colombia, Costa Rica, the
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama,
Peru, Trinidad & Tobago
• Research topics
o Genetics and breeding
o Plant propagation methods
o Diseases - plant pathology and control methods
o Soil fertility and plant nutrition
Global Cocoa Initiative
Cocoa researcher works with his
mentor to study cocoa diseases.

United States
Department of
Agriculture
Foreign
Agricultural
Service
Training Priorities
Global Research Alliance Fellowship
• Developing tools for greenhouse
gas and carbon sequestration
assessments.
• Reducing greenhouse gas
emissions intensity in crop
production systems.
• Reducing greenhouse gas
emissions intensity in livestock
production systems.
• Developing databases and
strategies for synthesis, integration
and decision support to manage
greenhouse gas emissions and
carbon sequestration in agricultural
systems.
Chilean Borlaug Global Research Alliance Fellow
Rodrigo Arias learned to use GHG monitoring equipment
and mathematical modeling techniques to determine
cattle emissions at the University of California-Davis and
Northwest Irrigation and Soils Laboratory.

United States
Department of
Agriculture
Foreign
Agricultural
Service
Country Focus: Colombia
History
• 2 Fellows since 2012
• Past Research Topics/Fellows
• Leidy Avila Sanchez from the National Rice Fund:
Food/Feed Risk Assessment of GMOs
• Isidro Suarez from Universidad de Cordoba: Genetic
Analysis of Cacao Cultivars
2015 Training Priorities
• Genetics and Breeding
• Biofuels

United States
Department of
Agriculture
Foreign
Agricultural
Service
Fellow Profile
• Early-to-mid career
professional who is
employed at a university,
research institution, or
foreign government agency
• Minimum educational
requirement: Masters Degree
• Demonstrated intention to
continue working in his or
her home country
• Proficient in English
Panamanian Enith Isabel Rojas Arauz with
Dr. Norman Borlaug at the Workshop for
the Borlaug Fellows Program for Central
America in 2006.

United States
Department of
Agriculture
Foreign
Agricultural
Service
Application Procedure
• Borlaug Fellowship Program Application Package
o Research proposal and detailed, weekly work plan
o Academic and professional background
o Official copies of university transcripts
o Two letters of recommendation (academic and professional)
• Interview
Successful applicants will be invited to a 30-45 minute interview,
conducted in English without a translator, with Borlaug Program
staff to discuss their proposed research plan in depth.
*Online application is available through the Borlaug Fellowship Program
website: www.fas.usda.gov/programs/borlaug-fellowship-program

United States
Department of
Agriculture
Foreign
Agricultural
Service
Covered Expenses
Borlaug Fellowship Program provides funding for the
following program expenses:
• Visa fees
• Travel to and from the United States
• Tuition and training costs
• Emergency medical insurance
• Food and housing expenses

United States
Department of
Agriculture
Foreign
Agricultural
Service
Questions?
For additional information, please contact the following Borlaug Fellowship program staff:
Tim Sheehan
Senior Program Manager
Tim.Sheehan@fas.usda.gov
Adam Scheinkman
Program Specialist
Adam.Scheinkman@fas.usda.gov