I am posting a link to analysis of market manager positions that I did for an organization in Maine.
It was meant to be a simple overview of the types of paid positions that exist in the market world and certainly could be and should be expanded in the future.
Living in New Orleans used to mean that I had a mild winter (if any) to deal with each year and January was about celebrating Carnival from Twelfth Night up until Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras). Now as a market consultant, I spend the winter traveling to conferences and meetings, oddly almost all held in the northern climes!
Even with my aversion to cold, I am excited to be returning to Vermont for my third visit with NOFA-VT, and the second time I will be attending their Direct Marketing Conference held in lovely South Royalton VT.
Beginning last fall, I started work with NOFA-VT and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture to study their card and token currency systems in the markets and comparing them to other states’ systems in view of the 2020 implementation of WIC to EBT cards – as well as the new technology that is swirling around like Square and the new upcoming Novo Dia Group smart phone app for cc/debit/food stamps. Also included in this research is the need to ascertain if these systems (which of course include incentives, FMNP coupons, WIC vouchers and in some states veggie prescriptions too) are working well at market level and how to measure them.
I have been calling on my colleagues across a dozen states and networks to hear their analysis which has been shared most generously. Now, I go to Vermont to gather some case studies from farmers and market managers to round out the raw data which then will need to be crammed into a manageable report for Vermont come early spring.
wish me luck.
And, email me or call me if you have data on a network or state level that you wish to share.
The report from Fair Food Network, Market Umbrella, Roots of Change and Wholesome Wave offers some helpful data and analysis of the incentive programs used in farmers markets. All 4 of these organizations are involved with incentive campaigns at different levels and have begun to see the effects of the many campaigns that they have run. It is clear to me that cash incentives have been successful in reducing the early barriers for markets hoping to attract lower income shoppers. However,the ability of the market organizations to create and manage these campaigns remains a cause of concern in some networks and states.
I am curious as to how incentives could be used in more ways (two examples might be how to attract new vendors or thanking neighbors who live with the impact of the market ) and how other incentives besides a cash match could be developed.
See the report here. FYI- It is only opening on computers; it does not seem to open on tablets at this point.
I often refer to the 2010 report “Real Food, Real Choice: Connecting SNAP Recipients With Farmers Markets” that was done by CFSC and FMC. The page that I refer most to is this one, so thought I’d post it here.
A great one with Young Kim of Fondy Food Center and Peter Marks from Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project presenting.
I’m going to post some of the presentations, podcasts and videos that I have created for farmers markets over the last few years on here. Hope these are helpful.
Tell The Truth Today, Raise More Tomorrow:
Assessing Your Online Fundraising Capacity
Thu, October 18th, 2012 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT
Presented by: Debra Askanase, Community Organizer 2.0
In this webinar, we will walk you through a comprehensive evaluation of the state of your organization’s online fundraising strategy. Assessments are not a judgment, but rather a statement of where you are along a continuum of practice, and can offer practical insights into your online fundraising execution and effectiveness.
Prior to the webinar, we will send an anonymous, brief survey to all webinar attendees asking you to evaluate the state of optimization of your current online fundraising capabilities. We will share the aggregated survey answers during the webinar, and what that means for the state of online fundraising in the nonprofit industry.
Often, I talk about forms of capital and how it’s a great framework for defining local food systems. I use the forms of capital for the Indicator Matrix framework that I have been working on Farmers Market Coalition (FMC). I thought I would share the handout given to me that defines a great many of them; I believe this is a Ford Foundation handout done by Yellow Wood Associates, an excellent consulting firm that is focusing on the same outcomes that our market field is hoping to achieve.
Here is the list of capitals that the handout defines:
Intellectual (FMC refers to this as human)
Social
Individual
Natural
Built
Political
Financial
A very interesting, albeit small study about customer perception and local produce at farmers markets. I would argue however that perception and awareness needs depend on the community the market sits in. In other words, types of markets differ and therefore the expectations of the market success differ. All that really matters is if the market manager and the vending and shopping community are making sure everyone knows the same information; such if there is reselling happening and it’s for a reason that is to do with the intention of the market. As long as everyone knows about it and accepts it, I think it’s doing its job. Of course, whether it should be called a farmers market if its all resellers is another story…
In any case, I would suggest that every market community survey the perceptions of their shoppers about different items that are available at markets.
This is Amy Christian and Duncan Hilchey. We are the founders and editors of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, also known as the Food Systems Journal. We are fundraising because we are in the process of transitioning the Food Systems Journal into a nonprofit organization. We boot-strapped the Food Systems Journal three years ago with our own labor and investments, and have continued to subsidize it. Now that we’ve proved the concept of the journal, it’s time to grow and become more sustainable ourselves!
We have recently been accepted as a project of the Center for Transformative Action, an affiliate of Cornell University. The mission of the Journal meshes very well with the Center for Transformative Action’s, which is about making positive change in the world. With your support we are transforming the Food Systems Journal into a nonprofit that can receive grants and donations.
As 2012 Farm Bill debate rages in Congress, a new investigative report demands SNAP program transparency
Oakland, CA, June 12, 2012 — Are food stamps lining the pockets of the nation’s wealthiest corporations instead of closing the hunger gap in the United States? Why does Walmart benefit from more than $200 million in annual food stamp purchases in Oklahoma alone? Why does one bank, J.P. Morgan Chase, hold exclusive contracts in 24 states to administer public benefits?
These are a few of the questions explored in a new report called: “Food Stamps, Follow the Money: Are Corporations Profiting from Hungry Americans?” from Michele Simon, president of Eat Drink Politics, a watchdog consulting group. This first-of-its kind investigation details how the food stamp program—originally designed to help farmers and those in need—lines the pockets of junk food makers, food retailers, and banks.
Right now, Congress is debating the farm bill, including significant cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps). Much attention has focused on how agricultural subsidies fuel our cheap, unhealthy food supply. In reality, the largest and most overlooked taxpayer subsidy to the food industry is SNAP, which comprised two-thirds of the farm bill budget in 2008.
“Michele Simon’s well-researched, credible investigation breaks new ground and exposes who else stands to gain from the government’s largest food assistance program,” said New York University Professor Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics. “While reauthorizing the farm bill, Congress needs to make sure that the poor get their fair share of SNAP benefits,” she added.
Food Stamps, Follow the Money examines what we know and don’t know about how much the food industry and large banks benefit from a tax-payer program that has grown to $78 billion in 2011, up from $30 billion just four years earlier, and projected to increase further due to current economic conditions.
“Transparency should be mandatory. The people have a right to know where our money is going, plain and simple,” said Anthony Smukall, a SNAP participant living in Buffalo, New York. He says his fellow residents are “facing cuts year after year, with no sustainable jobs to be able to get off of programs such as SNAP.” Smukall added, “J.P. Morgan is shaking state pockets, which then rolls down to every tax paying citizen. I am disgusted with the numbers in this report. If people knew how such programs were run, and how money is taken in by some of the world’s conglomerates, there would be outrage on a grand scale.”
As the largest government-funded agriculture program in the nation, SNAP presents a tremendous opportunity to help tens of millions of Americans be better nourished and to reshape our food system in a positive way. SNAP dollars now represent more than 10 percent of all grocery store purchases.
“Every year, tens of billions of SNAP dollars are propping up corporations that are exploiting their workers and producing foods that are making America sick,” said Andy Fisher, founder and former executive director of the Community Food Security Coalition, who is currently writing a book about the anti-hunger movement. “It’s high time we stopped this madness, and returned the food stamp program to its original purpose: providing needy Americans healthy real food grown by farmers,” he added.
“I hope Congress does not cut SNAP. Food prices have been skyrocketing while salaries remain unchanged, and many people I know have two jobs to try to make ends meet,” said Jennifer L., a SNAP participant living in Massachusetts. “As a single mom who has only recently re-entered the workforce, the SNAP assistance I receive makes a huge difference in my ability to support my children,” she added. “I am in favor of making retailers’ and banks’ information regarding SNAP public. What are they hiding?”
Food Stamps, Follow the Money offers several recommendations on how to improve SNAP in order to maximize government benefits for those in need. These include:
· Congress should maintain SNAP funding in this time of need for millions of Americans;
· Congress should require collection and disclosure of SNAP product purchase data, retailer redemptions, and national data on bank fees;
· USDA should evaluate state EBT contracts to determine if banks are taking undue advantage of taxpayer funds.
“Congress should make SNAP more transparent by mandating accurate tracking of SNAP expenditures. Why should only the likes of Walmart, Coca-Cola, and J.P. Morgan know how many billions of our tax dollars are spent each year?” said Ms. Simon.
About: Michele Simon is a public health lawyer specializing in industry marketing and lobbying tactics. She is president of Eat Drink Politics, a consulting group that helps advocates counter corporate tactics and advance food and alcohol policy. http://www.eatdrinkpolitics.com Twitter: @MicheleRSimon
Good market newsletter article and as markets that have begun to reach out to families know, you need to involve both parent and child in the market.
Helping Farmers Markets Grow 