Homegrown Alabama: A Farmers Market Fighting Hunger

Andrea Mabry (Homegrown Alabama, U. of Alabama), Will Thomas (Auburn University), Lindsay Turner (Homegrown Alabama, U. of Alabama)
Background
Alabama is one of the most socioeconomically challenged states in the United States of America. According to the USDA Economic Research Service, 18.9% of Alabamians live in poverty, including 25% of Alabamas children. This poverty is only made worse food insecurity; 17.3% of Alabamas households are considered to be Food Insecure, with 7% of those experiencing Very High Food Insecurity. In addition to these factors, approximately 32.3% of Alabamians are considered to be obese. This highlights the need to increase availability of high-quality, nutritious foods to those living in poverty and experiencing low food security.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Initially started in the late 1930s as the Food Stamp program in order to provide food assistance to low-income families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill, renaming the program to reduce stigma and making electronic benefits transfer (distribution of benefits using debit cards instead of paper stamps) standard. In order to qualify, households must have less than $2,000 in resources available, with exceptions made for home with elderly individuals. While benefits are funded at the Federal level, benefits are administered at the State and Local levels. In Alabama, approximately 67% of qualifying households participate in the SNAP program, receiving an average monthly benefit of $289. In Tuscaloosa county, 12% of all residents receive SNAP benefits, including 27% of Children and 27% of African-American residents.

Homegrown Alabama SNAP and Match

Upon deciding to accept SNAP Benefits at the weekly Market, Homegrown collaborated to develop a Match Incentive program with Canterbury Chapel, the host church. For every $10 of SNAP/EBT redeemed by beneficiaries, the church gave the recipient $5 to use at the market. According to the USDA, all Farmers Markets use incentive programs for SNAP beneficiaries. This process, as well as the process for farmer payment, was streamlined through a centralization of payment. EBT users decide and pay the amount of SNAP benefits they would use to the Home Grown authorities. Then, Home Grown would give tokens for that amount plus the amount of match, which could be used as currency at each farms booth. At the end of the market, farmers traded these wooden tokens for cash and these amounts were documented weekly. Thus, we know precisely how SNAP beneficiaries used their funds from week to week, and have a good idea of what goods they bought. To measure the rate at which SNAP beneficiaries were using their benefits, we created a metric called the Redemption Rate, calculated simply as the amount of funds paid out each week to farmers divided by the sum of the amount of SNAP benefits processed through EBT and the match program.

Conclusions
Throughout the 25 week market season, a total of $4,834 were distributed to 24 different local vendors through Homegrowns SNAP and Match program.

Tuscaloosa, Alabama is located in West Central Alabama. With a population of approximately 91,000, it is the fifth largest city in Alabama. As of 2011, 19.9% of Tuscaloosa Countys residents lived in poverty, and four of the cities 28 census tracts were considered to be Food Deserts by the US Department of Agriculture.
On 27 April 2011, an EF4 tornado struck Tuscaloosa, killing 43 with over 1000 injured. Much of the area struck by the tornado was inhabited by residents living under the poverty line, and much of the damage was within census tracts considered to be Food Deserts. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility requirements were relaxed to allow many of those affected by the tornado to receive benefits, even if previous barriers such as income had prevented them from receiving benefits.

Through looking at the Redemption Rate patterns, we can see that customers using the SNAP and Match program would come back and use their benefits over multiple weeks, which we can see is frequent as many weeks have a redemption rate higher than 100%. We can also tell that inclement weather tends to deter spending, as some dates with thunderstorms reported have lower redemption rates.
This data also tells us that customers using their SNAP benefits through EBT are loyal customers. Beginning with the 1 September market, all match funds had been used; however, SNAP beneficiaries continued coming to the market and purchasing goods. Also, marketing efforts such as 2 Junes Squash The Heat Festival, 2 Augusts Herb Festival, and 20 Octobers Fall Festival brought out SNAP beneficiaries at very high rates. Approximately 58% of the SNAP and Match funds were used at vendors whose primary product was produce (fruits and vegetables), with another 26% allocated to hormone-free, grass-fed beef. Through these figures we can conclude that this program contributed to positive eating habits among SNAP and Match customers, as well as to a more sustainable food system. Given 2011s special circumstances and our restricted data, we cannot attest that empirically that the SNAP and match program yielded a more diverse customer base; however, studies by the USDA Food & Nutrition Service show that SNAP acceptance diversifies market customer base, and we have no evidence that the contrary is true in this case.

Location of Tuscaloosa County and Tuscaloosa City in Alabama

Homegrown Alabama Farmers Market

The Homegrown Alabama Farmers Market has been in operation since 2007, and is the only student-run farmers market in the state of Alabama. Running from early May to late October from 3pm-6pm on Thursday afternoons, it only accepts vendors who operate within a 100 mile radius of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home to The University of Alabama. Annual farm visits to vendors maintain that the products sold are held to high standards, and much effort is put into making each market a community event. Bands are invited to play, cooking demonstrations are held, activities for children are available, local artisans are invited to sell crafts each third week of the month, and special events are held (such as the Squash The Heat market, or the Bama Loves Tomatoes (BLT) Festival , and an Herb Festival in the summer, and a chili cook-off and pumpkin carving contest in the autumn).

References

Using SNAP at Farmers Markets

According to the USDA, a Farmers Market that can accept SNAP benefits using EBT is defined as a multi-stall market at which farmer-producers sell agricultural products directly to the general public at a central or fixed location, particularly fresh fruit and vegetables (but also meat products, dairy products, and/or grains). For markets that qualify under this definition, there is a three-step process for being eligible for SNAP Authorization: 1. Creating a USDA Account Online 2. Filling out an Online Application (with information such as owner's name, home address, social security number, and estimated sales) 3. Submitting corroborating paperwork to the appropriate regional Food Nutrition Service office, determined by region. Once approved, employees (or volunteers) must be trained in SNAP use and an active phone line, along with a power connection, is required to use the EBT device, which operates in the same manner as a debit or credit card.

Since 2009, the market has operated on the lawn of Canterbury Episcopal Chapel and Student Center, a church located adjacent to the campus of The University of Alabama. In 2010, the church integrated the Homegrown Market into its existing food bank ministry (called Deacons Deli) by issuing vouchers to their clients on Tuesday mornings that can be redeemed at the market on Thursday afternoons.
Beginning in 2011, the Homegrown Alabama Farmers Market began accepting payment with SNAP using the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) program, on which money is transferred onto a debit card for those in need of food assistance. Out of 121 Farmers Markets in Alabama, Homegrown Alabama is one of only three that accepts SNAP benefits through EBT.

The New York Times (2009) Food Stamp Usage Around The Country. Trust for Americas Health (2012) Key Health Data About Alabama. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (2010) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at Farmers Markets: A How-to Handbook. USDA Economic Research Service (2011) Food Desert Locator. USDA Economic Research Service (2012) State Fact Sheet: Alabama. USDA Food And Nutrition Service (2012) Nutrition Assistance in Farmers Markets: Understanding Current OperationsFormative Research Findings. USDA Food And Nutrition Service (2011) Helping Low-Income Families and Local Communities in Alabama. US Social Security Administration (2008) Electronic Fact Sheet: Food Stamp Facts.

Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the customers, vendors, and community of Homegrown Alabama, Canterbury Episcopal Chapel and Student Center, The University of Alabamas New College, the City of Tuscaloosa, Auburn University, Auburn Office of International Agriculture, Auburn Economic & Community Development Institute, Dr. Norbert Wilson, and Mr. Joshua Segall.

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