New Report: Healthy Food Incentives Cluster Evaluation 2011

Cross-posted from Fair Food Network

This report summarizes initial results of a cluster evaluation of four organizations – Fair Food Network, Market Umbrella, Roots of Change, and Wholesome Wave – that offer SNAP incentives at farmers’ markets. The goal of the evaluation is to help inform further investments in SNAP incentives that have the potential to increase access to healthy food for low income consumers, improve the economic viability of farmers, and strengthen local communities.

Click here for the Healthy Incentives Cluster Evaluation 2011.


AGree Releases Review of U.S. Nutrition Assistance Policy: Programs and Issues

On June 4, AGree released a Review of U.S. Nutrition Assistance Policy: Programs and Issues, the fifth in a series of public policy background papers on the U.S. food and agriculture system. This piece was written by Stephanie Mercier, a former chief economist for the Senate Agriculture Committee. The Review of U.S. Nutrition Policy provides an overview of the domestic nutrition programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program) and highlights program origins, characteristics, impacts of the programs, and current policy issues being debated.

AGree has also published background papers on the following:

AGree is an interdisciplinary initiative to drive positive change in the food and agriculture system. They are focused on strategies to address the four following challenges:

• Meet future demand for food
• Conserve and enhance water, soil, and habitat
• Improve nutrition and public health; and
• Strengthen farms, workers, and communities.

Healthy Farms, Healthy People Coalition was recently invited to speak on a panel during the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Food and Community Conference in Asheville, North Carolina. The Coalition was represented by Gabrielle Serra, who was joined with colleagues representing other new and emerging coalitions working to improve the food system, including Deb Atwood, the Executive Director of AGree.

The Healthy Farms, Healthy People Coalition looks forward to working with our partners, including other coalitions, such as AGree, to help drive positive solutions to improve the U.S. food and agriculture system to promote health, social justice, and economic development.