Farm Direct Incentives Guide

Implement

Successful implementation of a nutrition incentive project takes a lot of internal work. In this IMPLEMENT section, we’ll help you set up the rules, training, and technologies that will make nutrition incentives run smoothly at your site.


Accepting SNAP and offering nutrition incentives are essential first steps to enabling an expanded community of shoppers to purchase food at your farm direct site. Now, let’s get to the behind the scenes work. 

Photo by Boulder County Farmers Market in Colorado

Here we include everything that happens at the site—from staff and vendor training, to the selection of point of sale systems, to how to run on-farm or at-market events directed at nutrition incentive users, and even how to use signage to help people get the most out of your program when they arrive.

Whether you work with a broader local program or invent a new model for incentives in your area, there are many elements to implementing an NI project that can be adjusted and adapted to fit the needs and capacity of your farm direct site. You can use IMPLEMENT to navigate the many possibilities for how to operate your program day to day. 

For sites that are building an NI project from the ground up, however, implementation will involve more work and more decisions. 

For example, independent projects will need to create systems for payment and record-keeping. But you don’t have to start from scratch! Templates and tips from other farm direct sites are included in this section for you to build off of. Whether you’re a brand new program or joining an existing one, see below for our top resources.

Resource Library Guide: Implement

See our best-in-class resources to help you implement your farm direct nutrition incentive below.

How-to

Resources that speak to the basics of people and products in farm direct.

Quick Tips

Creating Inclusive Farmers Markets Toolkit

This toolkit from Massachusetts Food System Collaborative provides tips and suggestions for farmers markets in Massachusetts to create more inclusive and welcoming environments, including through better understanding the community, celebrating…
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility | Operations and policy
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How-to

Farmers Market Legal Toolkit: Costs, Accounting, and Taxes

This section from the Farmers Market Legal Toolkit from the Vermont Law School and the Center for Agriculture & Food Systems focuses on accounting considerations for farmers markets who accept…
Program Administration | Market operations, policies, and legalities
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Technology

Technical systems such as EBT point of sale systems, physical scrip, and etokens are among the major considerations for any program, below are a few resources to get you started in considering this central aspect of operations.

How-to

The "A to Z" of EBT, Credit, and Debit Cards in Washington State

Chapter 7 of the Washington State Farmers Market Management Toolkit walks through the considerations for markets exploring accepting SNAP and credit/debit cards, including financial, administrative, capacity, and demand components.
SNAP/EBT and Nutrition Incentives Technology | Applying
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How-to

EBT Technology: Market Discovery Process

Your process in choosing a Third Party Processor (TPP, or sometimes referred to as a “Merchant Service Provider”) and device (whether it’s a tablet or a payment terminal) to process…
SNAP/EBT and Nutrition Incentives Technology | POS & E-commerce Options | Getting started— applying, equipment, etc
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Quick Tips

EBT Point of Sale Device Category Overview

This document will help you familiarize yourself with the categories of devices available and help you start your search. This list is not exhaustive, nor is it a recommendation –…
SNAP/EBT and Nutrition Incentives Technology | POS & E-commerce Options | Getting started— applying, equipment, etc
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Human Resources

Guides and examples for how to train, recruit, and build your team.

How-to

Becoming a Food Stamp Friendly Market

This brief video provides an overview of how to operate a SNAP/EBT and nutrition incentive program at markets for market managers. SLIDES can be found here.
Program Administration | Staffing
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Example

Food Assistance Handbook

Growing Hope has managed multiple farmers markets in Michigan, and created this operations handbook as a tangible guide to roles, responsibilities, and steps needed to operate food assistance programs before,…
Program Administration | Market operations, policies, and legalities
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Example

Santa Monica Farmers Market Volunteers

Run by the City of Santa Monica, this simple web page for Santa Monica Farmers Market volunteers includes brief job descriptions for the volunteer roles needed, and a link to…
Program Administration | Volunteer and intern management
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How-to

CUESA- Volunteer with Us

CUESA in California has an extensive volunteer process and resources for those wanting to serve at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Markets. This web page is a model for volunteer best…
Program Administration | Volunteer and intern management
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Example

Double SNAP Dollars Manual for Market Employees

From the Double SNAP Dollars nutrition incentive program in Montana, this manual for market employees walks through the procedures for implementing the program including tokens, reimbursements, data tracking, invoicing, and…
Program Administration | Staffing
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Optimizing the Customer Experience

Changing customer behavior is always a challenge, whether that means supporting new customers to find their way, or encouraging returning customers to engage with your program for the first time, signage and displays are among the most important investments you can make in a site.

How-to

Designing Health and Shopper-Centered Spaces

While this series of lessons on applying Behavioral Economics to create shopping spaces that encourage healthy eating and center the knowledge and needs of customers was originally designed for food…
Farm Stands, CSAs, and Mobile Markets | Farm Stands
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Example

BUNDLE: Nutrition Incentive On-Site Signage

Reminding customers when they get to your site that SNAP and nutrition incentive programs are available can help new customers learn about the program and how to use it. Simple,…
Messaging, Marketing, and Engagement | Signage
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Resource List

Universal Design: Parks and Plazas

This web page from American Society of Landscape Architects addresses universal design (design that is inclusive and welcoming to all) in parks and plazas, with many of its recommendations relevant…
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility | Design and location
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How-to

The Art & Science of Farmers' Market Display

From the University of Vermont Extension, this four page guide has great information and photos about how to set up an effective display, something that is key to market products…
Program Administration | Vendor management
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Stage-by-stage Guides

Our stage-by-stage guides curate our library’s best resources to meet you at every stage of the nutrition incentive journey.

Plan

Learn the basics of nutrition incentives and start building a program at your farm direct site.

Learn more

Implement

Take your nutrition incentive program from seed to scale and find support for day-to-day administration.

Learn more

Promote

Grassroots outreach, social media strategy, and more: learn how to connect with the community and build your customer base.

Learn more

Evaluate

How do you measure your program's results? Access our tools for data collection, management, and publication.

Learn more

Reiterate

Turn your data into funding for new programming through reporting and storytelling.

Learn more