The Veggie Voucher Program: Healthy People, Happy Farmers

The Idea

We all know that eating more fruits and vegetables is good for our health, but many Angelenos can’t afford to make healthy choices during this recession. Meanwhile, local California family farmers struggle to make a living while competing with the large-scale agriculture industry. The Veggie Voucher Program gives low-income shoppers the ability to increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables that they can buy directly from the farmer who grew them.

The Specifics

Farmers’ markets have opened all over the city to create fair markets for farmers and to increase fresh food access for consumers. But many markets in needy areas have a difficult time making ends meet. Customers can’t afford the nutritious food their families need and farmers at these markets often don’t sell enough to cover their expenses. The Veggie Voucher Program increases the purchasing power of low-income Angelenos by providing bonus coupons to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables when using CalFresh/EBT (food stamps) at a participating certified farmers’ market. The full value of every dollar will go directly to a consumer in need of money to afford a healthy diet AND to a local California farmer bringing fresh food into an urban community.

Discussion

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