A UCCE-led work group promoted the use of EBT/CalFresh and other farmers' market incentives for families to purchase more fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets, resulting in a 30% increase in EBT/CalFresh customers.

Shopping at the farmers' market

The Issue

Lack of access to fruits and vegetables has been cited as a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic, particularly in low-income communities. Farmers' markets have the potential for increasing equitable access to local fruits and vegetables. Further, markets that accept CalFresh benefits and offer incentives, such as Market Match, can increase the purchasing power and food security for low-income community members while supporting local farmers and reducing food miles traveled.

Market Match Token

In San Luis Obispo (SLO) County, there are 13 year-round weekly farmers markets. Of those, eight accept CalFresh Food benefits and six offer additional incentives, like Market Match. However, these programs are under-utilized, and many consumers are unaware that they are available.

How UC Delivers

In January 2019, the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) working group for SLO County Farmers' Markets, led by UC Cooperative Extension, began collecting assessment data in order to prioritize efforts for increasing utilization. Work group members conducted focus groups with likely eligible CalFresh Food users, and conducted key informant interviews with farmers' market associations and market managers. From this information, the work group identified short-term and long-term goals for reducing barriers to participation and increasing sustainability of the program locally.

Signage at the farmers' market

To improve participation, the work group identified two barriers to address: 1) lack of awareness among clients and client-serving organizations, and 2) promotional materials that did not communicate clearly to clients. Communication and marketing materials were modified or developed, and printed using funds leveraged from multiple community sources. A robust outreach campaign involving more than 40 client serving organizations was launched. The campaign included bus wraps; radio, television and print ads; and signage and information in English and Spanish at the markets. Much of the communication and outreach work culminated in the promotion of National Farmers' Market week in August 2019.

The Impact

“When I go to the store to buy produce, I tend to purchase cookies, sodas, etc. and I spend more money. When I go to the farmer's market, I leave with my basket full of fruits and vegetables and I spend 20 to 30 dollars at the most, everything is healthy.”

– Focus group participant

Increase in EBT and Market Match redemption

Comparing the months of January through September, participating farmers' markets saw a 30% increase in new EBT/CalFresh customers from 2018 to 2019. This is particularly impressive considering the increase in customers from 2017 to 2018 was only 4%. Overall dollar amount redemption of CalFresh benefits and Market Match also increased by 17% and 14% respectively. Utilizing EBT/CalFresh and incentives like Market Match, enables low-income families to have more money to spend on healthy fruits and vegetables. Research shows that increased consumption of vegetables aids in weight management. In this way, UCCE improves health for all, contributing to the public value of promoting healthy people and communities.

CalFresh Food signage at the market

UC Cooperative Extension Advisor Natalie Price co-chaired a food security symposium with 85 organizations focused on collective action in Los Angeles. 86% of those surveyed increased their understanding of policies affecting food insecure individuals & food assistance programs.

The Issue

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers a household to be food insecure if it experiences either: low food security – reports a reduction in the quality, variety, or desirability of diet, or very low food security – reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in southeast Los Angeles County 32.4% of households with incomes under 300% of the Federal Poverty Level are considered food insecure, approximately 79,000 individuals. Yet 1 in 3 potentially eligible individuals in Los Angeles County are not receiving CalFresh Food (formerly Food Stamps) assistance benefits. There is a need to increase participation in the CalFresh Food program, and to connect those who are not eligible to programs such as WIC, summer meals, and the charitable food network. Greater success can be achieved by collaborating across sectors to identify clients in need, coordinate their referral to appropriate services, and bring resources to trusted schools and community sites. This is especially timely as confusion over eligibility based on immigration status has precipitated distrust and declining enrollment rates across many food assistance programs.

How UC Delivers

UC ANR Cooperative Extension Advisor Natalie Price co-chaired an effort to hold a food security symposium for service providers in southeast Los Angeles County in partnership with a coalition of local government and non-profit organizations. Held in May 2019 in honor of CalFresh Awareness Month, the symposium brought together 98 individuals representing more than 85 direct service organizations (nonprofits, education, health care) serving southeast Los Angeles. The symposium aimed to define and examine the scope of food security, provide an overview of food assistance resources, increase understanding of current policies impacting food security, and create opportunities for collaboration among organizations. Price moderated a panel discussion where local program representatives spoke about program eligibility, increasing outreach, and donating food waste. Policy experts addressed immigration issues and described how to contact your local representative to advocate for anti-hunger legislation. At the end of the symposium, participants engaged in a round table discussion and call to action, where they brainstormed ways their organizations can collectively support efforts to reduce food insecurity.

Event speakers and planning committee

UCCE Advisor Natalie Price facilitating the panel discussion

The Impact

Seventy eight of the 98 symposium participants completed a pre/post evaluation to assess knowledge gain:

• 67% of respondents increased their understanding of the definition and scope of food insecurity

• 65% of respondents increased their awareness of the food resources available to help food insecure individuals/families in their area and know how to access them

• 86% of respondents increased their understanding of current state and federal policies affecting food insecure individuals and food assistance programs

Participants wrote that as a result of the symposium they made new connections, plan to educate colleagues and clients, and intend for their organizations to become CalFresh application assisters. When asked what they would apply from what they learned, respondents elaborated:

• "[I will] provide additional information that I've learned today to my patients and encourage increased enrollment/participation."
• "I am aware of new initiatives to help all those who qualify access benefits related to food security with appropriate information and regulations."
• "Information about immigration will be shared to the people of the community, for instance, information about Public Charge (federal policy negatively affecting food insecure immigrant populations)."

In addition, the Southeast Los Angeles Food Security Coalition who hosted the event tracked an increase in its membership as a result of the symposium. All evaluation results and notes from the action-oriented brainstorming session will be used to plan follow up projects and events.

Research shows that applying a collective impact model can achieve greater results than individual action alone, particularly when addressing complex social problems such as food security. By bringing together 85 different organizations, building a common agenda, and creating the infrastructure for continued communication, this event laid the groundwork for a successful model of community change. In this way, UC ANR improves food security, contributing to the public value of safeguarding abundant and healthy food for all Californians.

Food security symposium attendees

Congresswoman Linda Sanchez welcomed participants via video from Washington D.C.

 

Attendees donated non-perishable food items to the interfaith food center pantry

UC partnership with Karuk, Yurok, and Klamath Tribes in Klamath Basin improves family and community food security, community health and well-being, and tribal food sovereignty. In a Basin-wide evaluation, 65% felt the community was more food secure. 

Tribal food security team overlooking Spring Creek at headwaters of the Klamath River

The Issue

Tribes in the Klamath River Basin are among the poorest and most food insecure in the US despite great ecological diversity and a history of plentiful foods including salmon, deer, elk, acorns, mushrooms, and berries. Commercial fishing, mining, clear-cut logging, fire suppression, dams, and industrial agriculture coupled with decades of forced assimilation have disrupted traditional food systems and intergenerational sharing of cultural food information and skills. The majority of the tribal population (64%) depends on food assistance yet 80% of those still worry about their next meal. Most foods in the region are imported and provided by outside businesses and limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables as well as traditional foods has led to high rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and depression. Yet the communities are actively engaged in transforming their food system to be more healthy, culturally relevant and resilient.

How UC Delivers

Using a community-led planning process and building on relationships of trust, UCCE academics and partners from the Karuk, Yurok, and Klamath Tribes and a local community based organization secured funding from 2012-2018 for research and improvements to food security across the three tribes' ancestral territories in California and Oregon. With funding from the United States Department of Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (USDA-AFRI) Food Security program, tribal and community-led food security workshops focused food sovereignty efforts seeking to strengthen subsistence skills including canning, baking, butchering, drip irrigation, fruit tree pruning, and seed saving. A focus on restoring cultural foodways included seasonal youth camps, connecting elders with youth, and inter-tribal youth exchange. Two new community gardens and six greenhouses were established and more than eight orchards were revitalized. Six tribal Master Gardeners were trained and several agricultural bulletins were created to offer residents regionally-relevant information to support access to fresh produce through an extended growing season. A new K-12 Native Foods Curriculum supports cultural learning and STEM skills in six local schools. Three dissertations share findings on key food plants and traditional land management, a digital library houses tribal cultural food information, and two tribal herbaria supports classroom education and future indigenous plant research. Over the course of six years nearly 17,500 participants -- with many of them repeat participants -- benefited from over 3,000 workshops, events, community discussions, meetings, and other activities.

“The community gardens, better maintained trees and food preservation all work together to create a culture where it is cool to eat local food. It is a source of pride at potlucks. Gardening and fresh fruit is available, and children understand where their food is coming from. I feel like there is less division and we are more unified. The relationships that have been created from the program are good.”

-Tribal food security participant

Ben Saxon field dressing deer, Karuk Tribe.

Native youth garden box installation

The Impact

After six years, Klamath Basin residents have new skills, resources, and networks to improve family and community food security, community health and well-being, and tribal food sovereignty. In a Basin-wide evaluation, 77% of respondents said they had learned something new from Food Security activities; 67% had tried out new skills at home; 65% felt the community was more food secure; and 81% said the programs have changed the community in other positive ways. The Karuk Tribe's new Pikyav Field Institute continues food security programming and improves college readiness for Native youth. The Klamath Tribes' new community kitchen will support ongoing food security activities. Partners have leveraged project successes, securing over $4.6M for expanded project work related to developing an inclusive and equitable society by building climate resilient Native American communities and agro-ecosystems, improving Native American food security through increased community access to native foods, and increasing ecological sustainability of forested landscapes that provide cultural foods and fibers. In this way, UC ANR partners with the community to improve food security, contributing to the public value of safeguarding abundant and healthy food for all Californians. 

For more information on the project activities and outcomes, please visit the Karuk-UC Berkeley Collaborative website.

UC-led partnership resulted in over 29,000 pounds of fresh produce being distributed to 900 students and limited resource families in Coachella in 2018. More than a quarter of participants reported being more food secure.

The Issue

The desert city of Coachella has a population of 6,919. Seven-hundred and sixty-one residents do not live within 10 miles of a supermarket or have a car, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Research Atlas. In an effort to increase healthy food access and close the food gap in the area, CalFresh Healthy Living at University of California (CFHL-UC) teamed up with Food In Need of Distribution (FIND) Food Bank to bring fresh produce to the students and families of Cesar Chavez Elementary School.

Food distribution at Cesar Chavez Elementary School

How UC Delivers

CFHL-UC partnered with FIND in 2018 to bring CalFresh enrollment support and food donations to nutrition class participants at the Coachella Valley Adult School. In the spirit of partnership, CFHL-UC introduced FIND to Cesar Chavez Elementary School with the hopes of bringing more resources to families in the area. With staff and teacher support at Cesar Chavez Elementary, CFHL-UC delivers a spectrum of services to help influence individuals to live healthier lifestyles including nutrition and physical activity education for both children and parents using evidence-based curricula (Go, Glow, Grow; Plan, Shop, Save, Cook; and Coordinated Approach to Child Health). Environmental and policy efforts include Smarter Lunchrooms Movement resources to increase student breakfast/lunch participation, local school wellness committee collaboration to offer wellness policy support, and this recent partnership with FIND Food Bank to increase access to fresh produce.

CFHL-UC Educator promoting fresh produce

Participant with a bag of food to take home

The Impact

“When I bring the food home, my mom is happy because she does not have to go to the grocery store.”

– 3^rd Grade Student at Cesar Chavez

As a result of the UC-led partnership and collaboration, FIND Food Bank made Cesar Chavez Elementary a food distribution site for their summer food donations. This included five events, with an average of 150 families attending, which helped feed an average of 690 people in 2018. Cesar Chavez was the highest attended distribution site that FIND serviced in 2018. Due to this success and need, FIND now provides monthly food distribution for the students at Cesar Chavez Elementary School. This year, FIND distributed over 29,000 pounds of fresh produce for 900 students to take home and share with their families. CFHL-UC staff highlighted the produce by supplying recipe cards from EatFresh.org for families to be able to make nutritious, easy, and inexpensive meals.

In addition, CFHL-UC helped increase food security and healthy living for program participants by teaching food resource management skills. Participants in the Plan, Shop, Save, Cook series reported making behavior changes such as planning meals ahead of time (44% of 124 survey respondents), comparing unit prices (40%), shopping with a grocery list (35%), and using Nutrition Facts to make food choices (54%).  Importantly, 27% of participants were less likely to run out of food before the end of the month. This program is one example of how UC ANR improves food security, contributing to the public value of safeguarding abundant and healthy food for all Californians. CFHL-UC aims to continue working in Coachella and collaborating further with FIND Food Bank to increase access to healthful foods at other sites in need.

Fresh produce given away at food distribution

CFHL-UC offered tasting and recipe cards with produce