Engaging APEC in Sustainable Agricultural Development | USDA FAS 10960 0200 10 20 0005

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FAS 10960 0200 10 20 0005

The Engaging APEC in Sustainable Agricultural Development opportunity is a USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) cooperative agreement designed to strengthen science-based agricultural regulation and support longer-term sustainability across the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies. It is rooted in the authority of 7 USC 3291, which allows USDA to exchange research and results internationally and to provide technical assistance, training, and expert support to partner countries. The work is led by FAS Trade Policy and Geographic Affairs (TPGA), specifically its Multilateral Affairs Division, which focuses on advancing U.S. interests through international organizations by promoting evidence-based policy, sustainability, trade liberalization, and agricultural innovation. In practice, the project is meant to help APEC economies modernize food safety and related regulatory systems without unintentionally turning those updates into trade-restrictive barriers that are not justified by science.

A central driver behind the project is the rapid growth of Asian markets alongside an increase in regulatory complexity. As economies modernize food safety oversight, some have struggled to align new requirements with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, particularly the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement). When governments lack capacity to conduct robust risk assessments, they may adopt measures that are more restrictive than necessary, creating non-tariff barriers that can hinder agricultural trade, including U.S. exports. To address this, the grant funds a multi-economy workshop focused on the SPS Agreement’s scientific justification expectations, emphasizing that risk assessment under SPS Article 5.1 is the primary pathway for scientifically justifying SPS measures. The workshop is intended to refresh and deepen understanding among regulators and policymakers, and to provide practical, real-world examples that participants can apply when developing or revising national measures.

The workshop content is also expected to address what happens when a full risk assessment is not feasible in the short term. The project plans to walk economies through how provisional measures can be used and notified appropriately, and how Members should approach the procedural steps involved in adopting temporary requirements while seeking additional information for a more objective risk assessment within a reasonable period. It also highlights the role of international standard-setting bodies like the Codex Alimentarius Commission, reinforcing the idea that national SPS measures should be grounded in internationally recognized science and transparent processes. This component builds on earlier APEC-oriented technical efforts aimed at reducing avoidable trade friction, such as barriers related to unnecessary export certificates or differing pesticide maximum residue limits (MRLs).

Beyond SPS capacity-building, the opportunity intentionally connects trade policy goals with broader sustainable agricultural and economic development priorities. USDA and APEC workstreams increasingly focus on practical sustainability challenges like food loss and waste prevention, sustainable resource management, and the adoption of innovative agricultural practices and technologies. The project is structured to support information-sharing and peer learning across economies, using U.S. experts and like-minded partners to present strategies that can be adapted by developing members. The underlying logic is that stronger technical capacity and better policy design can both improve public health outcomes and create clearer, more predictable conditions for trade.

A major second pillar of the grant targets a structural issue affecting food security and the resilience of agricultural systems: the aging farm workforce and the difficulty many economies face in attracting and retaining younger people in agriculture. The opportunity calls for examining how APEC economies are trying to involve, engage, and employ youth in agriculture and related fields. This is framed as an inclusive growth challenge as well as a production and food security challenge, since many rural areas are losing younger populations to other sectors and urban opportunities. The project will produce a report based on a desk audit of public- and private-sector initiatives across the APEC region, assessing what policies exist, how they are designed, and what evidence is available about their success. The deliverable is meant to function as a practical reference for policymakers, giving them examples of approaches that have worked in certain economies and could potentially be adapted elsewhere.

Taken together, the funded activities are aimed at improving the predictability and scientific grounding of the international trading environment for U.S. agricultural exporters while also strengthening the policy capacity of developing APEC economies. The solicitation lays out four main intended results: building on existing knowledge of SPS scientific justification within APEC, encouraging technical collaboration among member economies, collecting and synthesizing data on youth engagement policies in agriculture, and expanding shared understanding of sustainable agricultural development and innovation approaches across the region. The primary target audience is policymakers and regulators within APEC economies, with the expectation that the workshop outputs and the youth-focused report will be carried back into domestic decision-making processes where reforms and programs are designed.

From an administrative and execution standpoint, the applicant is expected to have deep familiarity with how APEC functions, including its meeting culture, coordination requirements, and the specific history of APEC workstreams on export certificates and MRL-related barriers. The implementer must be able to manage a complex, multi-economy project end-to-end: convening the right experts, handling meeting logistics, communicating with participants, resolving operational issues, distributing and analyzing participant surveys, and managing federal funds with appropriate cost tracking and reporting. The award requires ongoing coordination with FAS, including teleconferences as needed and the submission of activity reports and cost documentation consistent with the agreement terms.

In terms of the published opportunity details, this was a discretionary cooperative agreement under CFDA 10.960 (Technical Agricultural Assistance) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The funding opportunity number is USDA FAS 10960 0200 10 20 0005. The expected award count was one, with an award ceiling of $400,000. The notice was created on August 6, 2020, with an original closing date of August 21, 2020. Eligible applicants were listed broadly as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced in the full application instructions.

• The Department of Agriculture, Technical Agricultural Assistance 10.960 in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Engaging APEC in Sustainable Agricultural Development" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.960.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 06, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 21, 2020. (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 $400,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for USDA FAS 10960 0200 10 20 0005

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