This blog post is a collaborative effort between FM LIFE members who attended Market Match Lobby Day and Petaluma Bounty staff
March 20, 2024 was a big day at the State Capitol. Market Match coalition representatives gathered in force to press state leaders to restore millions of dollars cut from the California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) in the proposed 2024/25 state budget.
Among the dozens of advocates were a handful of passionate food systems champions of our own.
Representing the Farmers Market LIFE group were Petaluma Bounty Director Suzi Grady, Bounty Farmers Market Ambassador Sean Lopez, Healdsburg Farmers Market Manager Janet Ciel, and Althea Armada, a market manager with the Agricultural Community Events Farmers Market group.
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Why it matters
The California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) matters because healthy people make up a healthy community. Market Match, funded by CNIP and federal funds, is a well established program that supports millions of CalFresh customers to put more locally produced fresh fruits and vegetables in their diets. Market Match incentivizes CalFresh/EBT recipients to shop for fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets. When a CalFresh customer spends their EBT benefits at a market, they get matching funds toward the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables. Match amounts typically range from $10 to $20 to increase the purchasing power of low-income customers and promote healthier eating habits.
If CNIP funding doesn’t get restored in the 2024/25 budget, the Market Match program is in jeopardy beyond December 2024. That means less nutritious foods going to our community’s most vulnerable: low-income individuals and families. It would also be a blow to small to midsize farms statewide selling fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets.
Market Match and the success of farmers markets
The impact of CalFresh and Market Match extend beyond individual shoppers and the community’s overall health. The programs represent a substantial portion of income for many vendors and support the overall vitality of farmers markets.
As a farmers market manager, Janet Ciel sees it as her primary job to create a fruitful environment for vendors. “I do everything in my power to ensure they’ll have strong sales, so that they not only survive and thrive, but the market as a whole does the same.”
When news hit that Market Match was in jeopardy, Janet sprung to action. She joined members of the FM LIFE coalition and the Market Match consortium as a whole to advocate for CNIP re-funding to save Market Match. A highlight of the advocacy work was a trip to Sacramento to participate in Save Market Match Lobby Day.
“We had productive discussions with our elected representatives,” Janet said.
Meetings with state leaders and rally at the Capitol
“Our first meeting was with our Assembly Member Jim Wood, who was instrumental in establishing the program 15 years ago,” Janet added. “He pledged his support and committed to advocating for the reinstatement of Market Match into the budget. Subsequently, we met with an aide to our Sen. Mike McGuire, who, after hearing compelling testimonials from market managers, farmers, and EBT/Market Match recipients, expressed enthusiastic support for our cause.”
Later in the day, there was a rally held in front of the State Capitol Building with dozens of program stakeholders participating. “The rally was a testament to the widespread community support for Market Match,” Janet said.
Attendees from the Bay Area, including a sizable contingent from San Francisco, joined together in solidarity. Speakers representing various sectors emphasized the importance of preserving Market Match for the well-being of our communities and the sustainability of local agriculture.”
Sean, a farmers market ambassador who works with Sebastopol Farmers Market, said the gathering was empowering. “The message was clear: we need to save Market Match. The goal of this assembly was to encourage Gov. Gavin Newsom to include CNIP funding in the annual budget, and to urge legislators to protect these funds in the coming years,” he said.
“We heard from the Ecology Center, legislators who support this need, and most of all — those in our communities who Market Match benefits the most: farmers and CalFresh recipients. It was an empowering gathering, and I feel very proud to have been present.”
Speaking up
Though the proposed funding cut is devastating, advocates are hopeful, Sean said. Market Match is not merely a line item, it is a lifeline for food insecure populations and a catalyst for healthier communities.