The 13th OECD Rural Development Conference was held in Cavan, Ireland on 28-30 September 2022 under the theme "Bulding Sustainable, Resilient and Thriving Rural Places". These are the presentations from the Pre-conference session "Empowering SMEs in Rural Places". This presentation is by Karama Neal. For more information visit https://www.oecd.org/rural/rural-development-conference/.

1. Empowering SMEs in Rural Places
Karama Neal, PhD
U.S. Department of Agriculture – Rural Development
Sept. 28, 2022

2. USDA Mission and Vision
2
Mission
To serve all Americans by providing effective, innovative, science-based public policy
leadership in agriculture, food and nutrition, natural resource protection and management,
rural development, and related issues with a commitment to deliverable equitable and climate-
smart opportunities that inspire and help America thrive.
Vision
An equitable and climate-smart food and agriculture economy that protects and improves the
health, nutrition, and quality of life of all Americans; yields healthy land, forests, and clean
water; helps rural America thrive; and feeds the world.
https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/usda-
fy-2022-2026-strategic-plan.pdf

3. USDA Strategic Goals
3
1. Combat climate change to support America’s working lands, natural resources, and communities
• Investments in climate-smart agriculture, forestry, and renewable energy will reduce emissions and create new
and better market opportunities for all producers.
2. Ensure America’s Agricultural system is equitable, resilient, and prosperous
• Historically underserved communities will have improved access to USDA programs and opportunities as USDA
roots out generations of systemic racism and discrimination.
3. Foster an equitable and competitive marketplace for all agricultural producers
• New tools, funding, and research will help a diverse array of producers and landowners adopt conservation
practices and access new products and markets.
4. Provide all Americans safe, nutritious food
• All Americans will benefit from investments that provide consistent access to safe, healthy, affordable food
essential to optimal health and well-being and address food and nutrition security
5. Expand opportunities for economic development and improve quality of life in rural and Tribal communities
• Rural and Tribal communities will benefit from historic investments in broadband, clean water, and clean and
renewable energy infrastructure that will foster new job and market opportunities.
6. Attract, inspire, and retain an engaged and motivated workforce that’s proud to represent USDA
• The USDA workforce will be strong, healthy, and inclusive, comprised of leaders and staff who work together to
build a culture that welcomes, respects, and supports everyone to reach their highest potential.
https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/usda-
fy-2022-2026-strategic-plan.pdf

4. USDA Rural Development Priorities
Addressing Climate Change and Environmental Justice
Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate
change through economic support to rural communities.
Advancing Racial Justice, Place-Based Equity, and Opportunity
Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to Rural Development
programs and benefits from Rural Development funded projects.
Creating More and Better Market Opportunities
Assisting rural communities recover economically through more and better market
opportunities and through improved infrastructure.
https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points 4

5. https://rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices
USDA
Rural Development (RD)
“Together, America
Prospers”
Rural Housing Service
(RHS)
Rural Utilities Service
(RUS)
Rural Business-Cooperative
Service (RBCS)
Mission Area: Rural Development (RD)
5
Rural Development administers more than 40 programs and supports rural communities with loan
and grant investments of ~$50 billion annually. The current RD portfolio of investments exceeds
~$220 billion.

6. RD Agencies
RUS
Rural Utilities Service
RUS provides infrastructure or
infrastructure improvements to rural
communities.
• Clean and reliable energy
production
• Affordable and sanitary water &
environmental
• Expanding rural broadband
RHS
Rural Housing Service
RHS offers programs to build or
improve housing and essential
community facilities in rural areas.
• Supporting affordable single
family home ownership, multi-
family housing, and farm labor
housing
• Supporting community facilities
like healthcare, education,
childcare and other public owned
facilities
RBCS
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
RBCS offers programs to help
businesses grow as well as job training
in rural areas.
• Supporting rural small
businesses and entrepreneurs
• Supporting co-operatively owned
enterprises
• Supporting local food systems
and clean energy development
6
https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/agencies

7. RD Geographic Breakdown
7
47 State
Offices
400 Area
Offices
https://rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices

8. Rural Business Development Grant Program (RBDG)
• Provides technical assistance and training for small rural businesses (less than 50 workers and
less than $1 million in gross revenue). Enterprise and Opportunity Grants are available in this
program.
• Website: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-programs/rural-business-
development-grants
Cooperative (Co-op) Services
• RBC S provides support for cooperative development, services, and cooperative development
centers through technical assistance, research, guides, and stakeholder engagement
• Interagency Working Group on Cooperative Development - https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-
rd/initiatives/interagency-working-group-cooperative-development
8
Key Issue #1 – Technical Assistance

9. 9
TA – Rural Business Development Grant
(RBDG)
Grant Amount: $30,825
Technical Assistance will be provided to rural
entrepreneurs with disabilities across 20 counties in
southern Wisconsin.
The grantee will work one-on-one to create feasibility
studies and business plans for at least three
businesses.

10. 10
TA – Cooperative Development Centers
(CDC)
Support centers that provide
cooperative development
assistance to existing
cooperatives or to groups
interested in becoming a
cooperative or mutually-owned
business.

11. 11
US Home Care Cooperatives
Circle of Life Cooperative
Bellingham, WA (2009)
Peninsula Homecare Co-Op
Port Townsend, WA (2015)
Capital Homecare
Olympia, WA (2018)
Heartsong Home Care Co-op
Mt. Vernon, WA (2018)
Port Angeles Homecare Co-op
Port Angeles, WA (2019)
Courage Home Care
Los Angeles, CA (2017)
Heart is Home
Hobbs & Bernalillo, NM (2016)
E-Quality Home Care Co-op
New Braunsfels, TX (2014)
Cooperative Home Care Assoc.
Bronx, NY (1985)
Golden Steps Home Care
Brooklyn, NY (2014)
Home Care Associates
Philadelphia, PA (1993)
Everyday Details
Asheville, NC (2019)
Cooperative Care
Wautoma, WI (2001)
Soaring Independent
Madison, WI (2018)

12. This program ensures that participants in USDA’s Meat and Poultry Supply Chain initiatives have
access to full-range TA to support their project development and success. USDA’s Agricultural
Marketing Service (AMS) has established a nationwide MPPTA network of support, spearheaded
by the Flower Hill Institute, focusing on four key areas:
• Federal Grant Application Management – Navigating federal grants processes and procedures
• Business Development and Financial Planning – resources, market intelligence, feasibility
studies, etc.
• Meat and Poultry Processing Technical and Operations Support – advice and resources to
support the operational needs – including workforce development – of processing plan
development
• Supply Chain Development – support the development and maintenance of supply chain and
marketing relationships between suppliers, processors, distributors, and customers
12
Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity – Technical
Assistance (MPPTA) Program
http://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/mppt
a

13. Grants – Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
• Provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small
businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements.
• Website: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-programs/rural-business-
development-grants
Loans – Intermediary Relending Program (IRP)
• Provides low-interest loans to local lenders or “intermediaries” that re-lend to businesses to
improve economic conditions and create jobs in rural communities.
• Website: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-programs/intermediary-
relending-program
13
Key Issue #2 – Access to Capital

14. Loan Guarantees – Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program (FSCGL)
• This program guarantees loans of up to $40 million for qualified lenders to finance food systems
projects, specifically for the start-up or expansion of activities in the middle of the food supply
chain.
• Supports new investments in infrastructure for food aggregation, processing, manufacturing,
storage, transportation, wholesaling, and distribution to increase capacity and create a more
resilient, diverse, and secure U.S. food supply chain.
• Website: https://www.rd.usda.gov/food-supply-chain-guaranteed-loans
14
Key Issue #2 – Access to Capital (cont.)

15. Food System Transformation (FST) Initiative
The food system of the future needs to be fair, competitive, distributed, and resilient.
USDA has put together an intradepartmental framework to transform the food system to
benefit consumers, producers, and rural communities by
• Building a more resilient food supply chain that provides more and better market
opportunities for consumers and producers while reducing carbon pollution
• Creating a fairer food system that combats market dominance and helps producers
and consumers gain more power in the marketplace by creating new, more, and better
local market options
• Making nutritious food more accessible and affordable for consumers
• Emphasizing equity
15
Intradepartmental Partnerships
https://www.usda.gov/build-back-better

16. PRODUCERS
CONSUMERS
PROCESSING
AGGREGATION
DISTRIBUTION
16
Food System Transformation
Farmers and ranchers have fewer and
fewer options for selling their products
Concentration in food processing has
contributed to bottlenecks in the U.S.
food supply chain
Need to expand access to financing for
food systems infrastructure in the
immediate term, especially for food
processing, aggregation, and distribution.

17. Interagency Working Group on Cooperative Development (IWGCD)
Since reconvening in October 2022, this working group has served as a forum, led by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, where government agencies and cooperative stakeholders can talk about current issues facing
cooperative businesses in the United States. The goals of this working group are:
• To create a website to share information on Federal and stakeholder resources
• To foster working relationships
• To educate federal and nonfederal participants on cooperatives
The group brings together a wide variety of federal agencies including, but not limited to:
17
Interagency Partnerships
White House Rural Council Federal Emergency Management Agency Small Business Administration
Dept. of Health & Human Services Dept. of Agriculture Dept. of the Interior
Dept. of Commerce Internal Revenue Service …and 15 more

18. The Rural Partners Network (RPN) is an alliance of
over 20 federal agencies and many civic partners
working to expand rural prosperity through job
creation, infrastructure development, and community
improvement.
Participating agencies designate key POC s who
focus specifically on rural strategies in addition to
putting “Community Liaisons” on the ground to
support designative, economically challenged
communities.
Rural America Placemaking Toolkit – this website will
connect you with TA providers, funders, and how-to
guides on implementing placemaking.
18
Interagency – Rural Partners Network (RPN)
https://www.rural.gov |
RuralPartnersNetwork@ usda.gov

19. July 28, 2022 – Vice President Announces New Private and Public Sector Efforts to
Align Tens of Billions in Investments in Underserved Communities
The federal government has brought together the Economic Opportunity Coalition (EOC) of 24 companies
and foundations to align historic investments in underserved communities. Some founding members include:
19
Public Private Partnerships
Capital One Google Rockefeller Foundation Netflix McDonald’s PayPal And 18 more
• The EOC has committed more than $3 billion of investments into CDFIs and MDIs, including $250 million in
long-term, low-interest debt and over $70 million in grants to CDFIs and MDIs.
• The EOC has committed to purchasing more than $6 billion in products and services from diverse suppliers
and has invested more than $500 million in funding to Black- and Hispanic-owned and –led equity funds.
• And so much more!

20. Key Themes
• Technical Assistance
• Access to Capital
• Strategic Partnerships
• Agency Practices
20

21. Thank you!
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and
lender.