FARMERS HOME ADMINISTRATION FMHA

An agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture created to assist farmers and families living in rural areas by financing and insuring loans for housing and other farming-related needs. The Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) provides credit and technical assistance to rural families and communities through four major programs: a housing program, utilities program, business program and community development program. The agency has about 1,900 county and district loans offices nationwide.

The agency was created to provide families with financing tools - such as loans and grants - to help them re-establish self-sufficient farming efforts in the aftermath of the Great Depression. It was originally named the Resettlement Administration and subsequently changed names to Farm Security Administration, Farmers Home Administration and most-recently the Rural Economic and Community Development Service.