Farmers' Markets Link Up With Food Stamp Programs
The most popular criticism slung at the proponents of organic food is that of elitism. Titles like "locally grown," "grass-fed," "free-range," and "pesticide free" all increase prices, making food less affordable for low-income families. However, a growing number of farmers' markets are teaming up with state governments to enable poor families to use food stamps at growers' markets, increasing accessibility to poor people of fresh, pesticide-free produce and meat.
In Milwaukee, hundreds of food stamp recipients have been using their EBT/Quest cards since 2003 at the Fondy Farmers' Market, located in one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. In the Bronx, Bedford Stuyvesant, and Harlem neighborhoods of New York, a pilot project begun in recent years opened up access to many of the city's 71 farmers markets to food stamp recipients. Cities from Connecticut to California are also experimenting.
Proponents laud the pilot programs as a savvy, inexpensive way to support local growers while also tackling health concerns prevalent among the poor, such as obesity, diabetes, and vitamin deficiencies; especially in cities like New York, where over half of the population - and one in four public school children - is considered overweight or obese.