The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Office of Farm to Fork has selected seven projects to receive a total of $750,000 in grant awards as part of an expansion of the California Nutrition Incentive Program to encourage the purchase and consumption of healthy, California-grown fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts by nutrition benefit clients.
Five grantees will distribute CNIP nutrition incentives and provide technical support at 100 certified farmers markets in the Los Angeles area, in the San Francisco Bay area and in the counties of Marin, Butte and Humboldt, according to a news release. One example: Food Access LA is being awarded $276,160 to provide incentives and support to benefit clients, as well as technical assistance to farmers, at 11 certified farmers markets in Los Angeles County.
Two grantees will focus solely on technical assistance for nutrition incentives utilizing new electronic farmers market cards. For example, the Agriculture Institute of Marin is being awarded $28,968 to provide technical assistance and support to electronic benefit shoppers at certified farmers markets in the San Francisco Bay Area.
A detailed list of grantees and project descriptions is available on the CNIP webpage.
CNIP has been shown to increase food security and consumption of fruits and vegetables among low-income Californians while simultaneously supporting and expanding markets for California farmers, the release said. CNIP currently offers nutrition incentives to CalFresh shoppers at more than 280 locations throughout the state, including certified farmers markets , community supported agriculture programs and retail outlets.
