Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP)

Providing low-income seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for eligible foods at farmers’ markets, roadside stands, and community supported agriculture programs

Program Basics
The Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) aims to:

• Provide resources to low-income seniors in the form of fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, herbs, and honey from farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community-supported agriculture programs
• Increase the domestic consumption of agricultural commodities by expanding or aiding in the expansion of domestic farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community-supported agriculture programs

Project Examples
In 2008 grants were made to 49 states, including several Indian Tribal Organizations, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. State departments of agriculture, aging, and health and Tribal governments administering the grants developed creative partnerships to expand service to seniors and certify and distribute benefits to the estimated 697,000 low-income seniors the program was expected to serve in 2008.

To eliminate barriers to access, several programs provide seniors with transportation to and from the markets through a partnership with senior centers or arrange for local growers to take their produce directly to senior housing facilities.

Application and Financial Information
The 2008 Farm Bill authorized mandatory funding of $20.6 million annually for the SFMNP, through Fiscal Year 2012. The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service administers the program and awards grants to individual state agencies to fund it. The state agencies then distribute the money to low-income seniors in the form of coupons.

Eligibility, Uses, and Restrictions
Low-income seniors, generally defined as individuals who are at least 60 years old and who have household incomes at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines (published each year by the Department of Health and Human Services), are the targeted recipients of SFMNP benefits. Some state agencies accept proof of participation or enrollment in another means-tested program, such as the Commodity Supplemental Food Program or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP - formerly called the Food Stamp Program) for SFMNP eligibility.

SFMNP benefits are provided to eligible participants for use during the harvest season. In states with shortgrowing seasons, the SFMNP season is relatively short. In other states with longer growing seasons, participants have a longer period in which to use their SFMNP benefits.

Website
www.fns.usda.gov/wic/seniorFMNP/SFMNPmenu.htm

The website for the state contacts is:
www.fns.usda.gov/wic/seniorFMNP/SFMNPcontacts.htm.

Contact Information
Mark Byron
Supplemental Food Programs Division
E-mail: mark.byron@fns.usda.gov
Phone: (703) 305-2733