The Foreign Agriculture Service is the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) lead agency in international activities to develop foreign markets for U.S. agriculture. FAS is primarly responsible for improving foreign market access for U.S. products by collecting and analyzing data on world agricultural production, policy, and trade competition. It also publishes information to U.S. farming and business interests on agricultural commodities in the global market.  The FAS also administers USDA’s export credit guarantee and food aid programs. The Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service is John Brewer.

The origins of the Foreign Agricultural Service are rooted in the Foreign Agricultural Act of 1930, signed by President Hoover. The act called for sending overseas officials from the USDA to London, Buenos Aires and Shanghai. These agricultural commissioners were granted diplomatic status and foreign attaché titles. After the passage of the Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act in 1934, the President was required to consult with the Secretary of Agriculture when negotiating tariff reductions for agriculture commodities. This task of administering these tariff negotiations fell to the Foreign Agricultural Service Division and marked its role in international trade policy. In 1938, the division was made a direct subordinate to the Agriculture Secretary, but the following year President Roosevelt ordered all diplomatic personnel transferred to the Department of State. The FAS was abolished and its staff headquarters renamed the Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations (OFAR). During the 1940’s, OFAR began administering food aid and started analyzing food availability during World War II and technical assistance to other countries after the war.

The Foreign Agricultural Service has its beginnings with the Foreign Agricultural Act of 1930, signed by President Hoover. It consisted of overseas officials of the USDA located in London, Buenos Aires and Shanghai. These agricultural commissioners were granted diplomatic status and the title of attaché. In 1934, Congress passed the Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act stipulating that the President must consult with the Secretary of Agriculture when negotiating tariff reductions for agriculture commodities. This task was delegated to the Foreign Agricultural Service Division and marked its role in international trade policy. In 1938, the division was made a direct subordinate to the Secretary, but the following year President Roosevelt ordered all diplomatic personnel transferred to the Department of State. The FAS was abolished and its staff headquarters renamed the Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations (OFAR). During the 1940’s, OFAR began handling food aid along with analyzing food availability during WW II and technical assistance to other countries after the war.

In 1953, Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Benson abolished the OFAR and recreated the Foreign Agricultural Service. It was given responsibility for technical assistance to the International Cooperation Administration and focused on foreign market development for U.S. agricultural commodities. In 1945, agricultural attachés transferred back from the State Department and Congress passed the Food for Peace Act that became the framework for FAS’s food aid and development efforts. The Market Development Cooperator Program started in 1955 to expand foreign demand by signing cooperative agreements with groups representing American producers of certain commodities such as the National Cotton Council. In 1961, USDA’s Commodity Stabilization Service merged into FAS, bringing export credit and food aid programs. The FAS was also included in the Foreign Service Act of 1980 and gave agricultural attachés the option of becoming Foreign Service Officers. Since 1939, ten former agricultural attachés had been confirmed as American Ambassadors. In 1994, USDA’s Office of International Cooperation and Development merged with FAS and brought back technical assistance to FAS’s responsibilities.

FAS Programs

FAS is responsible for opening new markets, and increasing U.S. agriculture competitiveness overseas. Operating on a global basis, FAS supports three of the USDA’s Strategic Objectives: (1) expand and maintain international export opportunities; (2) support international economic development and trade capacity building; and (3) improve the global sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) system to facilitate agricultural trade. FAS also supports economic development through its technical and development assistance

Food for Progress

authorizes U.S. agricultural commodities to be provided to developing countries and emerging democracies that have made commitments to introduce and expand free enterprise in their agricultural economies. The Food for Progress authorizing statute provides for the use of CCC funding for commodity procurement, transportation, and associated non-commodity costs for the program.

Only a small portion ($2.3 million from 2000-2010) of the FAS budget goes towards contracting. The majority of the agency’s spending is on grants, direct payments and other aid. From 2000-2010 FAS distributed more than $1.4 billion in grants, according to a query of USAspending.gov. Top recipients and their percent of all grant spending include:

NAFTA

NAFTA

Problems with food aid and biotechnology

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Michael V. Michener, 2009