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2015 Autumn | Agriculture and Food Systems, Environmental Justice

Alignment, Education, and Communication: Creating Better Nutrition Assistance Program Support for Farmers Market Vendors

Student(s):

Lean Litwak

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Lindsay Nessel

Partner(s):

  • Carnation Farmers Market

Faculty advisor(s):

Beth Bryant, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington

For my Capstone, I served as the Food Access intern with the Carnation Farmers Market. I helped implement the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Program, which are nutrition assistance programs that enable lower income individuals to redeem benefits at local farmers markets. I reviewed scholarly literature about nutrition assistance programs at farmers markets, and distributed a survey to market vendors to identify how vendors can best be supported when working with nutrition assistance programs. By analyzing the survey results, I discovered that nutrition assistance programs run most effectively with increased communication and vendor trainings. These programs can increase food security and create equal food access to local foods.