Making Food Stamps at Farmers' Markets Common Practice

by Tara Lohan · 2010-03-19 07:06:00 UTC
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farmers\' marketEveryone should be entitled to quality fresh fruits and vegetables, but what's the best way to do that?

There are many prongs to increasing accessibility and affordability of good produce for lower income people and those on fixed incomes, but one clear place to start is by making the use food stamps at farmers' markets easier. These days there are no actual 'stamps'; instead, people use 'electronic benefit transfer' cards. While supermarkets are equipped to handle these EBT cards, sadly many farmers' markets aren't. So what's to be done?

A recent story in GOOD points out that many vendors at farmers' markets don't have the capabilities to provide wireless card readers -- either because of the cost (over $1,000) or the infrastructure. A story last summer in the New York Times pointed out that some states, the federal government and a handful of nonprofits have been working to increase the number of EBT readers at farmers' markets. Iowa, the article points out, actually provides the machines to farmers and pays the monthly fees that go along with it. New Jersey was also beginning to do the same and a program in Montana was helping to provide the card readers at 42 markets.

Additionally, GOOD reports that San Francisco's Alemany Farmer's Market developed a program to allow people using EBT cards to trade in their value for market-specific tokens, but the extra steps in the design have not made the program wildly successful.

Right now an estimated 750 farmers' markets accept food stamps, but there are thousands in this country where the capacity is still lacking. Even with all these efforts is there a way we can do more? GOOD is putting a call out to readers to invent a low cost and easy solution and I think we should promote the effort far and wide. What can our intrepid readers come up with?

Years ago I worked for an organization in Washington, D.C., that helped establish community-run farm stands in lower income neighborhoods. Our farmers' markets were able to accept WIC checks, a federal program of assistance for women, infants and children. Many of the women who arrived at our markets the first time hadn't had much experience buying and cooking fresh veggies, but once they had the opportunity, they rocked it. Some even ended up helping to establish other markets -- it was a clear win for their families, small farmers and the community.

So, what can we do to help make this process easier for farmers and low-income consumers?

Photo credit: NatalieMaynor

Tara Lohan is a senior editor at AlterNet.org where she heads up the environment, water, and food sections. Her work has appeared on the websites of The Nation, Mother Jones, the Huffington Post and in Yes! Magazine.
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