Hello everyone! My name is Lilly Smith and I am a rising junior in the College of Human Ecology. I am a Global & Public Health Sciences major on the pre-dietetics track. My aspirations to become a registered dietitian, as well as my passion for food system reform drove me to apply to this internship. I am incredibly excited to learn more about local food systems through the lens of farmers markets, as well as the lessons we can apply to broader health and agricultural systems.
The first two farmers markets I attended were the Windsor Farmers Market and the Auburn Farmers Co-op Market, both of which I shadowed an educator.
At the Windsor market, I shadowed Jaime Welch, the Ag & Food Systems Program Coordinator for the Broome County office of Cooperative Extension. Jaime was providing education as part of the Broome County Veterans Resiliency Project, which included distributing “Farmers Market Bucks” to veterans. This program, similar to the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), seeks to provide a certain population with expanded access to local produce, whilst supporting local agriculture and culinary education.
The Windsor market is small, and the community of vendors and customers is very intimate and longstanding. Most of the people I interacted with were over the age of 60, a time in life when socialization is a crucial aspect of health. It was evident that many seniors use the market as a place to stay involved with the community and to uphold tradition. My role as a nutrition-related educator at the market led many veterans to open up about their physical decline with aging and their time in service. Dysphagia, post traumatic stress disorder, diabetes, and other health conditions were prevalent in many I spoke to, reinstating the importance of farmers markets and programs that enable access to fresh produce and community socialization.
Teaming up to provide FMNP education alongside the veteran coupon distribution amplified the impact of both programs. Many of the veterans that came to our booth to pick up coupons simultaneously qualify for FMNP coupons, so I felt as though we were really maximizing their knowledge of assistance programs. Jaime also shared many stories of her time working with the Broome County Department of Health, from emergency Covid protocol to the nutritional deficiencies she witnessed as an impact of lead poisoning. These conversations, alongside the fact that almost every veteran recognized her, made it incredibly evident to me that Jaime is a pivotal community member in her county. Her roles across the many interconnected sectors of the health department give her a wide-scale understanding of the health of her community and the overlap between all issues.
At the Auburn Market, I shadowed Becky McCormick, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) Nutrition Educator for the Cayuga County office of Cooperative Extension. Our booth was placed next to a booth from Cayuga County Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), in which FMNP coupons and general WIC services were being provided. The women from the WIC office, alongside Becky’s SNAP-Ed education and my FMNP education, provided a powerful trifecta of social and health assistance. This amplification of efficacy is supported by data, as the women from WIC noted that the partnership at markets boosted Cayuga County’s WIC redemption rate to one of the highest in the state.
The joint action and presence of community assistance programs should be utilized heavily in communities, as many of the issues they seek to address and the populations they serve overlap heavily. Farmers markets are powerful and joyous settings to serve as the point of overlap for these programs.