- Author: Shannon A Klisch
- Author: Emily Dimond
- Author: Rosa Vargas
Partnering to support nutrition incentive programs at farmers markets provides increased access to healthy food for CalFresh recipients and generated over $380,000 in revenue for local farms.
The Issue
For low-income community members, CalFresh/SNAP incentive programs can increase their purchasing power, help reduce hunger, and improve nutrition. Farmers market nutrition incentives provide economic benefits to local farmers and communities, reduce food miles traveled, and can increase access to healthy food in low-income communities. In San Luis Obispo County eight year-round farmers markets accept CalFresh and offer the market incentive Market Match. However, these programs are underutilized, and many low-income shoppers are unaware or uncertain about where and how to use their CalFresh card.
How UC Delivers
To increase access to farmers market incentive programs and address barriers, UC staff convened partners through the EBT at Farmers Markets working group of the San Luis Obispo Food System Coalition. The work group includes partners from multiple sectors, including agriculture, government, private industry, and community-based organizations. The purpose of the work group is to increase the use of CalFresh at farmers markets to 1) create equitable access to healthy food and 2) support for local farmers. Through this work group, partners have collaborated to increase the visibility of farmers market incentives through social media, text messaging, materials distribution to local client-serving organizations, press releases, paid advertisements, and promotion at local food bank distributions and farmers markets.
Key work group partner representatives (n=6) were surveyed in September 2021 using the Wilder Collaboration Factors Survey. This survey includes 44 evidence-based items for collaboratives. Strengths are indicated by an average score of 4.0 to 5.0, while areas needing attention are 3.9 or lower. Strengths reported by respondents included: skilled leadership (4.3), unique purpose (4.3), mutual respect and trust (4.4). Weaknesses and areas of growth included: adequate funds (2.7) and time (2.7), and having all the organizations that we need as members of the group (3.2).
To address some of the issues related to time and resources, the work group applied for and received $30,000 in funding from the Danone Foundation to pilot a Farmers Market Navigator program to increase access to farmers market incentives among Hispanic and Latino customers who use CalFresh.
The Impact
Since 2017, when UC started convening the EBT at Farmers Markets work group, we have seen a 171% increase in CalFresh and Market Match redemption. Research has shown that access to fruits and vegetables supports healthy eating behaviors and improved health outcomes. Additionally, these purchases have generated a total of $386,000 in direct income to local farmers and farmers markets.
In addition, the work group has supported two additional markets in launching their Market Match program and has advocated for and achieved a regional standard incentive amount of $15 from Paso Robles in northern San Luis Obispo County to Lompoc in northern Santa Barbara County. This regional standard simplifies communication to low-income clientele and ensures a meaningful and standardized food budget when clients shop at local farmers markets.
Increasing access to local fruits and vegetables supports UC ANR's public values of safeguarding abundant and healthy food for all Californians and promoting healthy people and communities.
Our favorite quote:
“This work group really helped our market to be accepted into the Market Match program. I think without the visibility and partnership that this work group provided, we would not have been considered for Market Match. So you all should really feel good about that and thank you.”
– Farmers market manager and work group partner
/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>- Author: Shannon Klisch
- Author: Katherine E Soule
Essential services provided by CalFresh Healthy Living, UC delivered over 270 pounds of school garden produce and help farmers markets that accept EBT/CalFresh stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Issue
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds and shelter at home orders impact every aspect of our daily life from school closures to increased unemployment, uncertain access to food is increasing for many Californians. Food insecurity is defined as having limited or uncertain access to adequate food and is linked to a myriad of negative health outcomes. Food assistance programs such as CalFresh (known nationally as SNAP/EBT) and the federal school meals program have demonstrated positive outcomes for decreasing food insecurity.
How UC Delivers
Staff from CalFresh Healthy Living, UC in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties (UC) lead a working group of the local Food System Coalition to increase the utilization of CalFresh Food and Market Match benefits at local farmers markets. Farmers markets provide an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic. As social distancing orders were put in place, market managers reached out to UC for support so the markets could stay open and safe for the community and vendors. In response, UC staff mobilized County resources to support social distancing measures at markets where EBT/CalFresh is accepted. Support provided by UC staff includes onboarding, supervision, and ongoing training of County Disaster Service Workers to staff high-traffic markets, signage to direct customers in following social distancing protocols in both English and Spanish, social media posting, and circulation of a media release to let the community know that the markets are safe, open, and accessible for people with CalFresh benefits.
To further support the food system and food security efforts, UC staff in partnership with school garden stakeholders, continue to provide the essential service of maintaining school gardens to ensure food is harvested and does not go to waste. UC staff have created videos educating students on what is growing in their school garden, healthy recipes and showing home gardeners how to plant seeds and harvest food safely.
THE IMPACT
These efforts have resulted in the harvest of over 270 pounds of produce from three school gardens. This food has gone directly back to the community through use in school meals and local food pantry distributions. Ongoing harvests and re-planting of these gardens are scheduled to ensure food resources are maximized.
Additionally, the County Disaster Service Workers have provided over 65 hours of food safety and social distancing support to farmers markets that accept EBT/CalFresh and offer the market incentive Market Match. The collaboration and training provided by CalFresh Healthy Living, UC has made it possible for markets to stay open and provide a safe and reliable source of food for low-income clients throughout San Luis Obispo County. Indeed, the staff has heard community members saying that farmers markets feel to them like one of the safest places to shop for food during the pandemic.
Supporting and enhancing food assistance programs such as acceptance of CalFresh at farmers markets and school food programs and pantries has been shown to increase access to fruits and vegetables and strengthen local and regional food systems. Collectively, these efforts support UC ANR's Public Value: Safeguarding abundant and healthy food for all Californians, particularly as we face uncertainty during a global pandemic.
Quote
“I am so thankful for this help and for you for making this happen for [our farmers markets]. I don't know that I would be able to manage this without the volunteers. Thank you again.”
– Farmers Market Manager on the support of workers to keep the markets open and support social distancing efforts.
CalFresh Healthy Living, UC in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara is creating, posting, and sharing new content daily in both English and Spanish. You can follow them on Facebook (El Exito Es Salud, UC CalFresh SLOSB), YouTube (Spanish language channel coming soon), or Instagram (@elexitoessalud, @ucceslosb)!
/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>- Author: Shannon Klisch
- Author: Katherine E Soule
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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