WASHINGTON — The national Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) is excited to announce the launch of the Farm Direct Nutrition Incentives Guide Site (www.farmdirectincentives.guide), a comprehensive library that contains hundreds of resources for operators running Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/Electronic Benefits Transfer and nutrition incentives through farmers markets, community supported agriculture, farm stands and mobile markets across the country. This is a project of the Nutrition Incentive Hub and a collaborative effort between Farmers Market Coalition, Ecology Center, and Michigan Farmers Market Association along with hundreds of other organizations who contributed resources. The site officially launches on Monday, December 6, 2021.
The Farm Direct Nutrition Incentives Guide Site will help build healthy and equitable communities through the sharing of resources. Nutrition incentives provide extra food dollars to low-income families so they can have access to more fresh produce in their diet. This library gathers resources on nutrition incentives from across the web together in one searchable database.
“We envision the Guide Site as a way for farm direct sites and networks to reach outside of their individual experience for community-based examples and ideas,” said Rachel Ward, Farmers Market Support Project Manager at the Farmers Market Coalition.
The Guide Site also includes a unique step-by-step process that provides guidance through the seasonal lifecycle of a farm direct nutrition incentive project including Plan, Implement, Promote, Evaluate, Reiterate (PIPER).
The Farmers Market Coalition will take questions and is open to feedback about the site. Webinars and conference presentations will be hosted to showcase the site and show how it can be best utilized.
–Farmers Market Coalition