by Danielle Smith, Keystone State News Connection
Last week was National Farmers Market Week, but almost every week, fresh fruits and vegetables and local products attract customers to more than 8,000 farmers markets nationwide.
Pennsylvania has 287 farmers markets that cultivate community and offer access to locally grown food.
Jenny Lester Moffitt, undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said these markets play a vital role in the local food and farm economy. She highlighted a USDA grant awarded to strengthen the food supply chain.
“One of our grant recipients is an organization called Food Trust, and what they’re doing is they are creating small, pop-up farmers markets in areas around Philadelphia that don’t have access to healthy, fresh produce,” she said. “They’re increasing access to fresh, healthy, locally grown produce.”
She said Adagio Health in Pittsburgh addresses food insecurity by hosting farmers markets at Women’s, Infants, and Children’s clinics. This ensures that low-income families can get fresh local foods through programs such as SNAP and WIC, which promotes healthy eating and supports local farmers.
Moffitt said farmers markets are especially important to Pennsylvania’s rural communities as they connect farmers and ranchers with local customers.
“We know that when shopping at mainstream supply chains, farmers are getting about 14 to 15 cents of the food dollar back in their pocket,” she said. “But when farmers can sell direct to consumers, they keep much more of that food dollar back in their pocket. And then, of course, that money is then circulating in the community.”
In Gov. Josh Shapiro’s latest budget, Pennsylvania received new investments for agriculture innovation and conservation. And last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture encouraged farmers to apply for $13 million in tax credits to enhance soil health and water quality.
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Source: bctv