Farmers markets get friendly to food stamps

Program starting in Durham County

In Durham County, about 1,000 households getting food stamp assistance are within a mile of one of the best sources of fresh fruits and vegetables around: the Durham Farmers Market.

But these families haven't been able to take advantage of the market's ripe tomatoes, just-picked blueberries and golden summer squash. The federal food stamp program's Electronic Benefit Transfer cards aren't accepted at the market, or any other in the state for that matter.

Soon that may change.

A test program, "21st Century Farmers' Markets," will allow food stamp recipients to use their cards at farmers markets in Durham, Carrboro and Hillsborough. It's designed to "build a link between agriculture and those who are most in need of food," said Robert Andrew Smith, executive director of Leaflight, a nonprofit organization leading the effort with support from the state departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services.

Smith hopes the program will be running by early August.

Food stamp recipients are often at a disadvantage in getting access to fresh, healthy food.

"There are not a lot of grocery stores in the downtown, low-income areas," said Selena Sullivan, the community nutrition team leader of DINE for LIFE, a Durham County Health Department food stamp nutrition education program. "And those that exist may not have a good selection of fresh fruits and vegetables at a reasonable price."

Sullivan said many of Durham County's 9,500 households receiving food stamps are within a short walk or bus ride of the market. According to a 2004 study, about 6,000 households in the food stamp program are within four miles.

The test program gives local farmers a chance to cash in on the more than $850 million in food stamp benefits distributed annually across the state.

Food stamps were once accepted by certain farmers, back when the program used paper vouchers. But in late 1999, North Carolina switched to a system using Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, which have to be swiped.

Farmers dropped out of the program because they didn't have the electricity or connectivity needed to operate the equipment, and retailers had to have monthly EBT sales of at least $100 to be eligible for free card readers.

Under the new program, a central cashier will swipe EBT cards and give customers $1 tokens to equal the amount swiped. Customers can then use the tokens to make purchases from participating food vendors. Under EBT regulations, vendors cannot give change, so farmers and customers will have to work out how to make the purchases fair.

"[A farmer] might say, 'Oh, that comes to $2.75; I'm going to throw in another pepper,'" said Sheila Neal, manager of the Carrboro Farmers Market.

The markets also will use the card readers to allow other customers to make credit and debit purchases by buying $5 tokens with their cards.

33 counties by 2008

Smith said Leaflight is surveying counties statewide to find areas where many food stamp recipients live near farmers markets or produce stands. He hopes to have farmers in 33 counties accepting EBT by September 2008.

Ben Bergmann, co-owner of Fickle Creek Farm and a former member of the Durham market's board, said he looks forward to being able to serve more of the community.

"If you look at the farmers market, we're not serving a broad spectrum of the community. We're kind of self-selecting to wealthy and better-educated people," Bergmann said. "I don't see why we wouldn't want to encourage the people all around us to come."