A friend to New Orleans, Mary Rowe gives an eloquent description of the natural organizing within a city as seen when passing through a period of destruction. The lessons of city work can certainly hold a mirror to the lessons of food system organizing.
farmers markets
Job opening: Food Policy and Program Manager- New Orleans LA
FOOD POLICY AND PROGRAM MANAGER
Background Information
The role of the Food Policy and Program Manager is situated within the larger Propeller Social Venture Accelerator program with a focus on food systems and land use. The two primary goals within the Propeller Food Systems sector are: 1) Providing access to healthy, affordable food to disadvantaged residents and communities in New Orleans, and 2) Equitable economic development for food-related entrepreneurs in New Orleans and the surrounding region.
Job Opportunities · Propeller.
(scroll down the page to find this listing)
New Orleans Localvore Market
Not a farmers market, but it has the same values of local sourcing, direct sales/education between producers and shoppers, educational activities and fun as the longtime farmers markets in the city. These folks have spread the gospel of sourcing locally with this and with their Eat Local Challenge each June. A great sister project to the Crescent City Farmers Markets, with which they work closely.
Locavore (sic) Market in New Orleans, held during this neighborhood’s Eat Local Challenge Month
Link to data collection slideshow
Gave this presentation recently to the University of Virginia Morven Institute’s “Farmers Markets and Applied Food Systems Research” course. Slideshow
Here is more on this exciting summer course that I am thrilled to be associated:
Nutrition Assistance Report Part II
More quotes and odds and ends from the Nutrition Assistance Project Report. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis, Nutrition Assistance in Farmers Markets: Understanding Current Operations by Sujata Dixit-Joshi et al. April 2013.
I hope this is helpful to those readers that don’t have the time to read 799 pages!
Here is a link to my original post about this report
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Stated purpose of project:
“To seek innovative ways to increase SNAP participants access to farmers markets (fms) and direct marketing farmers (dmf)”
Questions being asked in this project:
1. What are the characteristics of fms and dmfs and do they vary by SNAP authorization status?
2. What procedures are being used to add SNAP programs at fms and dmfs?
3. What is the nature of incentive programs?
4. What organizations serve fms and dmfs?
Three studies to be done in next few years:
FM Operations (was completed 2013)
FM Client Survey
Orgs administering SNAP at FMs Survey
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Details from FM Ops study:
2 phases of Operations study:
1. Nine markets were interviewed in depth, selected by FNS based on regions and demographic of poverty level in area.
2. 1682 farmers markets and 570 direct marketing farmers were surveyed between January and May 2012, Organized in 4 study strata:
Stratum 1: Snap authorized FMs and DMFs with redemptions from July 1, 2010- August 31, 2011
Stratum 2: SNAP authorized FMs and DMFs with no redemptions from July 1, 2010-August 31, 2011
Stratum 3: SNAP authorized FMs with redemptions from July 1, 2007- August 31, 2010 but none since in 2011. (FNS did not track DMFs separately before 2010.)
Stratum 4: Never SNAP authorized
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3.9 Farmers Markets Operating Budget
“In CY 2011, farmers markets relied on multiple funding sources for their operating budget. A vast majority of the markets depended on vendor fees: only 10 percent of the markets did not collect any vendor fees. Sponsorship from business organizations (28.7%), fundraising events (24.7%), and government organizations were also important sources of funding for the markets’ operating budgets. About 10 percent of the markets received funding from State government.
About 76 percent of the farmers markets charged the vendors a flat fee. Among the farmers markets that charged vendors a flat fee, almost one-half implemented a flat fee per season while about 40 percent implemented a flat fee per market day. Fewer than 10 percent of the markets assessed vendor fees as a percentage of sales, and less than 2 percent charged vendors based on the size of their rental space.”
5.3.1 Type and Characteristics of Outlet Where Direct Marketing Farmers Reported the Most SNAP Sales
“In CY 2011, a majority of the direct marketing farmers selected farmers markets as the outlet where they had the most SNAP sales.
… data suggest that direct marketing farmers who had prior certification may discontinue SNAP participation because they sell at outlets where they can use the market’s authorization to redeem SNAP. A sizeable majority of the direct marketing farmers in all three strata used their own authorization to redeem SNAP benefits at the outlet (Table 5-12).
In all three strata, receiving retail value of products was cited by 54 percent of the respondents in strata 2 and 44 percent of respondents in Stratum 1 (as reason for using the direct marketing outlets). About one-third of the direct marketing farmers in Strata 1 and 2 indicated that convenience was the most important driver for selling products at the outlet. A few reasons included location of the market (proximity to the farm, busy area, etc.); high volume of customers, particularly SNAP, WICFMNP and SFMNP customers; role in starting or operating the market, and to serve the local community.”
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Details of benefit programs at market (fms) and with direct marketing farmers (dmfs):
In 2009, 18% of the markets had access to card processing; by 2011, it was 35% (Briggs et al)
In 2011, 71.8 billion was redeemed in SNAP benefits and 11.7 million at farmers markets which is .016%
Markets with no incentive program had an average of $867 per season in SNAP sales and those with incentives averaged $2587 per season (p38)
(Expect more to come on this blog from this report….)
Public Farmers?
I often have discussions with people about the term public markets, I assume partly because it is on my business card! I wanted to share these two market definitions: the first done by Project for Public Spaces and the second, by the Farmers Market Coalition:
1. A public market is a public and recurring assembly of vendors marketing directly to consumers, engineered by a neutral regime.
• have public goals;
• are located in the community and/or create a public space in the community; and
• are locally owned, independent businesses.
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2. A farmers market operates multiple times per year and is organized for the purpose of facilitating personal connections that create mutual benefits for local farmers, shoppers and communities. To fulfill that objective farmers markets define the term local, regularly communicate that definition to the public, and implement rules/guidelines of operation that ensure that the farmers market consists principally of farms selling directly to the public products that the farms have produced.
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What is interesting to me about these two descriptions is that the public market definition may not encompass all farmers markets, since a “neutral regime” may not always be found, nor is the concept of public goals (transparency if you will) expressly outlined in the farmers market version.
Conversely, the farmers market definition explicitly defines the “principal” role of farmers selling products produced from their farms while the public market definition does not stress product origin.
Both assume that the market will define what local means, both mention direct sales and stress the concept of recurring.
What would you add or change? Does one seem more appropriate to you?
Is there a need for more markets definitions or for less? Do stakeholders within your region agree on the definition of a market?
Is this where typology could be most helpful, especially within a region with many markets?
I’d love to hear people’s opinions on these definitions and whether these seem accurate or relevant for their own regional definition.
Louisiana Farmer Honored
Each year the Crescent City Farmers Market selects a local food hero to feature on wooden tokens that may be purchased at the market welcome tent using credit or debit cards, then spent with vendors at the market. Other local food heroes memorialized on CCFM tokens include Commander Palace Chef Jamie Shannon (1961-2001), Mississippi farmer and CCFM vendor James “Billy Corn” Burkett (1928-1995) and cooking school pioneer Lee Barnes (1951-1992) and Eula Mae Doré (1929-2008).
2013’s token honors Jim Core, who passed away during 2012 after a long illness. His wife Gladys and grandson A.J. continue to run the family market business, assisted by sister-in-law Gay. The Cores are anchor vendors at both the Crescent City Farmers Market and the Covington Farmers Market.
Gladys Core, Jim’s widow and herself a mainstay at the markets for their farm’s many years as anchor vendors.
Jim Core, LA farmer honored on 2013 CCFM token
Food First
Well done critique of the food politics that we currently live and die with. Yes instead of encouraging “fencerow to fencerow” agriculture (even for seemingly well meaning reasons), we need to assess our true needs and grow the proper food accordingly and grow it well with less inputs and environmental destruction in every succeeding generation. And instead of running into each other over middling legislative issues, we need a movement of big ideas like food sovereignty and human rights to push fairness for all that allows everyone to chime in as needed and to allow us to move past crisis campaigning. When, for example, will the US food organizers work side by side with the rest of the world’s organizers? When will we embrace true import-replacement strategies? When will all pieces of the food chain be valued?
Farm Bill Fiasco: What is Next for the Food Movement?”, a Food First Spring Backgrounder
By Christopher Cook
Deciding how America will nourish itself and sustain its farms would seem a top policy priority— yet as the US Farm Bill demonstrates, sustainably grown, healthy food and livable incomes for farmers and workers remain an afterthought in a process controlled almost entirely by agribusiness and a handful of farm-state legislators. Despite strong public opinion supporting local food, farmer’s markets, organic agriculture, food workers’ rights and access to fresh produce, agribusiness and commodity interests continue to dominate food and farming policy.
That’s largely due to their prodigious lobbying clout: agribusiness spent $137 million last year muscling Congress to do its bidding and another $46.6 million on federal candidates (about 60 percent Republican) in 2010. This phalanx of power includes commodity producer groups like the American Corn Growers Association; corporate food processors and purveyors such as Kraft and Dean Foods; the Farm Bureau; dairy and meat industry giants; and seed and petrochemical corporations like Monsanto.
On the other side, armed with ideas and passion but little money, stand hundreds of groups from across the US pressing Congress on an array of policies—including commodity subsidy reform, fair prices for farmers, public monies for local foods and small farmers, and conservation and nutrition funding. With a handful of lobbyists and diverse interests, they fight doggedly for small wedges of the Farm Bill pie.
But is the Farm Bill a productive venue for food movements to make meaningful change in food and farming policy?
Who are you?
…Seers, contrarians, architects, mentors , connectors, bushwalkers, guardians, citizens….
Which are you?
And what about those others in your organization and market?
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/05/how_to_lead_when_youre_not_in.html
Quote I like
If the market only speaks with its supporters, then it runs the risk of arming its detractors.
Richard McCarthy, MarketUmbrella founder and its E.D. for 18 years, now Slow Food USA Executive Director
A book recommendation for evaluation geeks (like me)
Accounting For Social Value
When organizations use social accounting practices, they are able to measure their performance in terms of benefits accrued to key stakeholders such as their communities, human resources, and those investing in the organization. This innovative change in accounting can lead to a fundamentally different perspective on the value of an organization. Through case studies of organizations that have implemented social accounting in the United States, Canada, India, and Scotland, Accounting for Social Value provides a unique perspective for understanding key issues in this growing field.
USDA report: Nutrition Assistance in Farmers Markets: Understanding Current Operations
I have begun to take notes on the 799 page report released by the USDA last week (authored by Westat) on nutrition assistance programs managed at markets/with direct marketing farmers.
This (FM Ops) is the first completed phase of the 3 phases of research. Next will be a FM Client Survey, followed by a survey of organizations administering SNAP at farmers markets.
First, the data collection info:
2 parts to this research of FM Ops
First, 9 markets were interviewed in depth, picked by FNs based on their FNS regions and level of population below poverty level:
Eastern Market, Detroit MI
Peachtree Road, Atlanta GA
South Boston, Boston MA
Clark Park, Philadelphia PA
Market On The Square, Mobile AL
Fort Pierce, Ft. Pierce FL
Wytheville, Wytheville VA
Sitka, Sitka AK
Overland Park, Overland Park KS
Second, 1682 farmers markets and 570 direct marketing farmers were surveyed organized in 4 groups:
1. Those that were SNAP authorized and had redemptions between July 1, 2010 and August 31, 2011-77.4% (FMS) and 68.2% (DMFs) response among this group
2. Those that were SNAP authorized but had no redemptions between July 1,2010 and August 31, 2011- 69% (FMs) and 65% (DMFs) response among this group.
3. Those that were SNAP authorized and had redemptions between July 1, 2007 and August 31, 2010, but had no redemptions after August 31, 2010 – 56.8 % (FMs) response among this group -FNS did not differentiate FMs from DMFs until 2010 so there is no individual data on DMFs.
4. Never SNAP authorized- 51.8% (FMs) response among this group. Same issue as above in tracking DMFs so no numbers for that group in this stratum.
Westat also conducted focus groups with 2 markets in DC and Maryland, with some fascinating input from the participants:
“They don’t all make you feel that way, but sometimes you come across one that makes you feel a little bit like, ‘Oh, another EBT card.’ I don’t think they all do it and it’s not every time, but few and far between. They make you feel a little embarrassed, like a second class citizen.”
Much more to come…..
Helping Farmers Markets Grow 