Background on USDA 17 agencies and 10 offices "Reach Back Capability" available to Agriculture Advisors for Post Conflict Reconstruction, Stabilization and Crisis Prevention, is listed on the first page. Page one outlines these traditional programs and with department statistics. The blog provides a totla of six pages showing my Iraq field work October 2007 to September 2008 as Provinical Reconstruction Team Agriculture Advisor.
Traditional Programs:
o Trade Capacity Building (TCB) – Build relationships among stakeholders for open market and science-based trade policies.
o Agricultural Development – Governmental agricultural-policy and infrastructure issues affecting market-based systems, i.e. market information, rural credit, rural development, post harvest and slaughter food handling systems, agriculture extension and natural resources management.
o Reconstruction, Stabilization and Crisis Management – Reinstate necessary policies and procedures to provide basis public services such as agricultural extension, plant and animal health protection, natural resources management and market information systems.
USDA WEB SITES & HOME PAGE INFORMATION
United States Department of Agriculture
Agency overview
Formed May 15, 1862(Cabinet status February 15, 1889)
Headquarters 1301 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.
Employees
105,778 (June 2007)
Annual budget
US$95 billion (2009)
Agency executives
Thomas J. Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
Websites
http://www.usda.gov/
http://www.fas.usda.gov/ http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ http://www.ars.usda.gov/
Operating units Active
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
National Organic Program (NOP)
Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
National Agricultural Library (NAL)
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)[4]
Animal Care (AC)
Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS)
International Services (IS)
Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ)
Veterinary Services
Wildlife Services
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP)
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)
Economic Research Service (ERS)
Farm Service Agency (FSA)
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
Forest Service (FS)
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA)
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)
National Finance Center (NFC)
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Risk Management Agency (RMA)
Rural Development (RD)
Office of Community Development (OCD)
Rural Housing Service (RHS)
Current traditional tasks which can be supported by one or more USDA Agencies
ü Coordinate HA Food Support
ü Drought Mitigation - Weather Forecast Capability
ü Wealth Creation - Marketing and Statistics Service
ü Wealth Creation - Commodity Grading and Handling Advisory, Regulation Standards and
Private Contacts for investments
ü Food Safety - FSIS
ü Extension – Public Information/Adult and Youth Training (Meetings, Television, Radio?)
ü Resource Inputs - Improved Seed, Fertilizer, Ag Equipment, Land, Trained Labor
ü Livestock Health - Veterinarian Service working with Ministry – Sub Districts and private
ü Wealth Improvement - Value Added Processing
ü Wealth Improvement - High Value Crops and Improved Livestock
