Market Match Quarterly Call

The Ecology Center’s Farmers’ Access and Equity team hosted Market Match’s second quarterly call in July, gathering over 50 partners from all over California. Market Match shared programmatic updates, including announcing the departure of Carle Brinkman, Director of Food and Farming. Carle has filled a number of roles over her decade+ time at the Ecology Center. She developed the Market Match consortium into a thriving community of practice and has supported the growth of the network of Market Match sites across California, has led state legislative advocacy efforts to sustain Market Match funding, and has been instrumental in Ecology Center’s work nationally including its work with the National GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Hub. Many partners expressed how much they have appreciated her leadership, spirit of collaboration, and mutual cooperation. 

Market Match partners then traded experience and advice on different scrip types for EBT and Market Match and discussed in depth the pros and cons of transitioning to paper scrip. Partners also discussed obtaining and operating the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), a benefit program managed by the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) department of California Department of Social Services as well as Senior FMNP. Farmers’ market vendors and operators must be authorized in order to participate in this program. Some Market Match partners also provide a match to double the spending of these vouchers through a grant from California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)’s California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP). CNIP also funds Market Match. Ecology Center staff also provided a supplemental step-by-step guide to applying for FMNP as well as other resources to Market Match partners.

EBT Assistance

Through Kaiser Permanente’s California Farmers’ Market EBT Access & Capacity Building Project funding, the Food and Farming team at the Ecology Center awarded a total of $15,400 in financial assistance to seven farmers' markets in the Northern California Region to support and incentivize farmers’ markets, local food hubs, and small to mid-sized farms to add or expand CalFresh EBT access in Northern California. These funds were used to cover the cost of scrip tokens, marketing materials, staff time, and other barriers to implementing CalFresh EBT. The Ecology Center continues to provide technical assistance to market operators and farmers.

If you’d like additional support or have questions about adding EBT to your market, please contact ebt@ecologycenter.org.

2022 Market Match Impact Report

The Ecology Center partners with over 50 organizations to implement Market Match, a program that incentivizes CalFresh (SNAP) recipients to spend their benefits on fruits and vegetables at farm-direct sites like farm stands, farmers’ markets, and CSA box subscriptions. Approximately 270 sites participate in Market Match, across 35 of 40 senate districts, 60 of 80 assembly districts, and 39 of 58 counties in California.

In 2021, consumers spent over $13 million in Market Match and CalFresh combined at participating locations - an estimated 26 million servings of fruits and vegetables. Market Match is currently funded by CNIP and the USDA’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP). Read more about how Market Match reinvests state and federal dollars in Californian farms and rural communities in our 2022 Market Match Impact Report. 

Join the Alliance of Farmers' Market Steering Committee

The California Alliance of Farmers’ Markets Steering Committee will help to execute the Alliance's goals of focusing on advocacy, professional development, marketing and consumer education, and access to healthy food. Additionally they will provide program direction and governance for the Alliance while seeking to ensure that the Alliance is fulfilling its mission and growing to be a stronger and more influential group.

We encourage farmers, farmers’ market vendors, market operators, market managers, and non-profit or government professionals active in agriculture and the food system in California to apply. Committee members will serve two-year terms. The Committee will meet at least four times each year and there will be bi-monthly subcommittee meetings as needed to fulfill project deliverables.

To apply, please email rosio@ecologycenter.org with a resume and letter of interest. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Research Shows Market Match Impact on Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

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