WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today,  Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice in President Biden’s Cabinet for America’s 33 million small businesses, announced today that the SBA is strengthening its longstanding partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create jobs and expand access to new and better market opportunities for people in rural America.

“Rural small businesses strengthen local economies – creating jobs and serving communities,” said Administrator Guzman. “The SBA’s partnership with USDA will build upon the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to investing in underserved rural Americans and providing the needed resources to help them start and grow their businesses to advance our economy and global competitiveness.

Through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed today, the SBA and USDA are committing to increase investments in small and underserved communities to help grow the rural economy and create good-paying jobs for people nationwide.

The agencies are also committing to expand opportunities for rural technical assistance providers, entrepreneurs and small business owners. They will also provide resources to help rural businesses compete in both domestic and international markets.

As part of the MOU, the agencies may work together to:

• Provide joint trainings, technical assistance and mentorship opportunities for rural small business owners and entrepreneurs.
• Help agricultural producers and small businesses identify ways to export their products around the world.
• Expand collaboration between the SBA’s Resource Partners Network and USDA’s Rural Partners Network.
• Cross-promote programs that support rural businesses and socially disadvantaged communities, and more.

For more information, see the full MOU.

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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality.  As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. Learn more at sba.gov.

About the U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean-energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

Christine Saah-Nazer
U.S. Small Business Administration
202-756-0304
christine.saahnazer@sba.gov

Rebecca Galanti
U.S. Small Business Administration
202-756-0304
rebecca.galanti@sba.gov

Han Nguyen
U.S. Small Business Administration
202-756-0304
han.nguyen@sba.gov