Policy & Advocacy

We believe that public servants design better public policies when they incorporate the knowledge and expertise among practitioners in the field. This is true for farmers markets, where diverse leaders have emerged from unlikely places to create new institutions where none stood before. In other instances, they breathed new life into old farmers markets crying out for renovation.

For too long, public policies have been incubated in silos. Agricultural policies have kept food producers isolated from consumers. Public health policies have been designed without input from farmers. And community development policies have hindered innovation by keeping urban issues separate from rural.

Farmers markets and the constituencies they energize and serve are tearing down these silos. And yet, so many public policies could be improved dramatically to accelerate progressive change.

Representing the farmers market movement, working in tandem with diverse allies, we seek to inform decision makers of public policy alternatives  through position papers, grassroots advocacy, and policy summits.   Our members’ support is what makes this work possible.

• WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program Policy Brief (4/2013)
• FMPP Program Brief (5/2013)
• FMC and 146 farmers market leaders sign on to ask Congress to reauthorize FMPP and SFMNP (12.06.2012)
• NEW! Farmers Market Advocate’s Toolkit
• Farmers Market Coalition Policy Priorities
• Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) Fact Sheet (2/29/2012)
• FMPP Success Story: Columbia, MO ( 3/1/2012)
• FMPP Success Story: Toldeo, OH  (1/30/2012)
• FMC recommendations for Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Program (AKA SNAP-Ed) (6/17/2011)
• FMC 2012 Budget Testimony to House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee (4/14/2011)
• FMC response to FMPP Proposed Rule (3/15/2011)
• Thank you to President Obama regarding 2012 budget request for EBT at farmers markets (2/24/2011)
• FMC’ response to FMPP Federal Register Notice (11/30/2010)
• A Sustainable Agriculture Perspective on Food Safety (11/11/2010)
• Real Food, Real Choice: Connecting SNAP Recipients with Farmers Markets
• FMC response to changes in FNS EBT scrip and incentive requirements (2/25/10)
• FMC response to a proposed $4 million for SNAP at farmers markets in FY ’11 (2/18/10), and letter urging support for the provision to the Senate Appropriations Committee (9/15/10)
• FMC letter of comment to the WIC CVV Interim Rule (1/28/10)
• FMC Food Safety Position Statement (updated 11/16/09)
• FMC 2009 Position Paper

Successes of the past — WIC and Seniors/FMNP, the FMPP, SARE, and the Community Food Projects — should be supported and expanded.  Thanks to the advocacy efforts of FMC and other like-minded organizations, the current Farm Bill increases funding for many such programs, as well as the Farmers Market Nutrition Program.  However, we must also continue to address current challenges (e.g., EBT, Insurance, Food Safety) and enable our next generation of public policy innovations.  FMC is an active member of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, thorough which it advocates for farmers market-friendly food safety regulations and advocates for USDA’s marketing, local food, and rural development programs.