The U.S Department of Agriculture has awarded $167,650 in grants to increase participation in Washington, D.C. farmers markets. The two grants, part of the department's
Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), run from Sept. 2012 through
September 2014. The grants include $94,150 to DC Greens Inc. and $73,500
to the University of the District of Columbia. According to the
USDA release on the awards, The DC Greens Inc. program received $94,150 to: “1)
increase customer participation at 4 farmers markets; and 2) reach low
income and Federal nutrition benefit recipients in the market
neighborhoods, with a targeted outreach into neighboring communities,
direct mailings, cooking demonstrations, and improved market signage,
resulting in better health for market patrons and an increase in sales
for 40 farmers.” Jezra
Thompson, Food Access Program Director for DC Greens, tells CNSNews.com
her organization's efforts include more than cooking demonstrations and
increased signage. “We are approaching our outreach campaign through a grassroots effort,” Thompson said. “We are going to meetings, we are working with people from the
community that are invested in the same projects we are working on and
the same mission that DC Greens is about; which is connecting DC
residents to more healthy, affordable food.”...
more
$94,000 for "going to meetings". These community organizers do quite well.
We subsidize crop production, which results in oversupply, which results in farmers being paid to not produce. Meanwhile, we've got all these surplus crops, which we are now told aren't "healthy, affordable food" so we give money to these yahoos to jerk folks out of their homes and drag them down to a farmers market.
The DC Deep Thinkers and their ag policy on display.
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