Skip to main content

fas

FAS Highlights Climate-Smart Ag to South American Visitors

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service hosted a delegation of government and private sector representatives from Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay who traveled to the Washington, D.C., area to learn about sustainable, climate-smart agricultural practices being implemented in the United States.

International Day of Rural Women Spotlight: Indiana Soccer Moms Score Big as Global Entrepreneurs with USDA Assist

For a women-owned business in rural Indiana, working with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) became a life-changing experience. Soccer moms Carol Podolak and Joy Thompkins sold homemade peanut butter as their kids’ team fundraiser to travel from Portage, Indiana to Dallas, Texas for a tournament in 2016. Customers wanted the pretzel, blueberry, and toffee peanut butter more than once a year, so Podolak and Thompkins started taking custom orders. And now, BNutty is on shelves in stores around the world.

What’s brewing? FAS Recognizes 90 Years of U.S. Hops Industry, Gone Global

American breweries and craft beer have grown in popularity in recent years. And that interest in these refreshing, artisan beverages is hopping from continent-to-continent thanks in part to collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and the U.S. hops industry.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Learn How USDA is Using Biotechnology to Produce High Quality Chocolate with Cacao for Peace in Colombia

Nothing says Valentine’s Day in the United States like chocolate. According to the National Confectioners Association, 92% of Americans plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day with chocolate and candy. Making all that chocolate takes a lot of cocoa.

Safer Food, Safer World: USDA Combines Science, Trade, and Online Learning

As we recognize World Food Safety Day, we celebrate the five-year anniversary of the Food Safety Network (FSN), a partnership between USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FSN provides developing countries with the tools and training to strengthen animal and plant health, food safety, and agricultural trade. But, that’s not all. The work of FSN also supports the U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy’s goals to improve food security, and reduce poverty and malnutrition around the world.

USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service Helps Global Efforts to Reduce Food Loss and Waste: An Interview with Paige Cowie

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) links U.S. agriculture to the world to enhance export opportunities and global food security. Globally, food waste is estimated at 1.6 billion tonnes and arises from many causes from farm to table. In developing countries, these causes include lack of cold-chain storage (refrigeration and freezing, for example), poor-post harvest handling techniques, and lack of access to markets. What is FAS doing to help reduce food loss and waste? This interview features insights from Paige Cowie, Resilient Agriculture Program Manager, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.