§ 1737. John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program
(a)
Definitions
In this section:
(2)
Emerging market
The term “emerging market” means a country that the Secretary determines—
(b)
Provision
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, to further assist developing countries, middle-income countries, emerging markets, sub-Saharan African countries, and Caribbean Basin countries to increase farm production and farmer incomes, the President may—
(1)
establish and administer a program, to be known as the “John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program”, of farmer-to-farmer assistance between the United States and such countries to assist in—
(2)
use United States agricultural producers, agriculturalists, colleges and universities (including historically black colleges and universities, land grant colleges or universities, and foundations maintained by colleges or universities), private agribusinesses, private organizations (including grassroots organizations with an established and demonstrated capacity to carry out such a bilateral exchange program), private corporations, and nonprofit farm organizations to work in conjunction with agricultural producers and farm organizations in those countries, on a voluntary basis—
(3)
transfer the knowledge and expertise of United States agricultural producers and businesses, on an individual basis, to those countries while enhancing the democratic process by supporting private and public agriculturally related organizations that request and support technical assistance activities through cash and in-kind services;
(4)
to the maximum extent practicable, make grants to or enter into contracts or other cooperative agreements with private voluntary organizations, cooperatives, land grant universities, private agribusiness, or nonprofit farm organizations to carry out this section (except that any such contract or other agreement may obligate the United States to make outlays only to the extent that the budget authority for such outlays is available under subsection (d) of this section or has otherwise been provided in advance in appropriation Acts);
(5)
coordinate programs established under this section with other foreign assistance programs and activities carried out by the United States; and
(6)
to the extent that local currencies can be used to meet the costs of a program established under this section, augment funds of the United States that are available for such a program through the use, within the country in which the program is being conducted, of—
(c)
Special emphasis on sub-Saharan African and Caribbean Basin countries
(1)
Findings
Congress finds that—
(A)
agricultural producers in sub-Saharan African and Caribbean Basin countries need training in agricultural techniques that are appropriate for the majority of eligible agricultural producers in those countries, including training in—
(B)
agricultural producers in the United States (including African-American agricultural producers) and banking and insurance professionals have agribusiness expertise that would be invaluable for agricultural producers in sub-Saharan African and Caribbean Basin countries;
(C)
a commitment by the United States is appropriate to support the development of a comprehensive agricultural skills training program for those agricultural producers that focuses on—
(ii)
teaching modern agricultural techniques that would facilitate a continual analysis of crop production, including—
(iii)
the use and maintenance of agricultural equipment that is appropriate for the majority of eligible agricultural producers in sub-Saharan African or Caribbean Basin countries;
(D)
programs that promote the exchange of agricultural knowledge and expertise through the exchange of American and foreign agricultural producers have been effective in promoting improved agricultural techniques and food security and the extension of additional resources to such farmer-to-farmer exchanges is warranted.
(2)
Goals for programs carried out in sub-Saharan African and Caribbean Basin countries
The goals of programs carried out under this section in sub-Saharan African and Caribbean Basin countries shall be—
(A)
to expand small agricultural operations in those countries into agribusiness enterprises by increasing access to credit for agricultural producers through—
(C)
to provide training to agricultural producers in those countries in groups to encourage participants to share and pass on to other agricultural producers in the home communities of the participants, the information and skills obtained from the training, rather than merely retaining the information and skills for the personal enrichment of the participants; and
(d)
Minimum funding
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in addition to any funds that may be specifically appropriated to carry out this section, not less than the greater of $10,000,000 or 0.5 percent of the amounts made available for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to carry out this chapter shall be used to carry out programs under this section, with—
(e)
Authorization of appropriations