Farmers' markets for all: Strategies to support farmers' markets in communities

Farmers’ markets can serve as important sources of fresh produce for communities, especially in areas lacking access to healthy food retail. Successful farmers’ markets can also generate additional positive impacts, like retaining local food dollars and activating public spaces. For these reasons, many governments are implementing strategies to support farmers’ markets in underserved neighborhoods and ensure access to farmers’ markets for residents using funds from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as payment. This presentation provides an overview of tools that can help achieve more equitable access to farmers’ markets for communities of all income levels. Efforts within Los Angeles County to support farmers’ markets will also be described, which include changes to the county’s zoning code, identification of opportunities on municipal properties, and work to increase SNAP acceptance. Los Angeles County’s Healthy Design Ordinance recognized farmers’ markets as a defined land use and allowed their operation in all zones, while a working group supported implementation of the ordinance and technical assistance was provided to farmers’ markets to implement systems to accept SNAP payments. Recent efforts have contributed to both an increase in the number of farmers’ markets accepting SNAP as a form of payment and the development of new farmers’ markets in communities with significant numbers of SNAP beneficiaries.