About
Over the past seven plus years, at least a dozen farmers markets across Colorado have been offering some type of double voucher or incentive program for SNAP participants. All of these programs have incentivized the purchase of locally-grown fruits and vegetables.
One example from Colorado comes from the Boulder County Farmers Market, which has administered the Harvest Bucks program at multiple markets in Boulder County. Boulder SNAP participant survey results show that more than 86 percent of Harvest Bucks participants reported increasing consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and 89 percent reported increasing the variety of fruits and vegetables consumed.
Colorado is modeling this program after the Double Up Food Bucks program initiated by the Fair Food Network in Michigan. The Double Up program began at five farmers markets in Detroit in 2009 and has since grown to more than 150 sites across Michigan and has become a model for communities nationwide. Double Up also expanded to grocery stores in 2013 in one of the first pilots in the nation.