BERKELEY Calif.—The bustling farmers’ market on a Saturday morning has a sense of community and high spirits as people buy organic produce. As Arrous Lambert, a vendor for the Street Sheet newspaper said “Berkeley people have the biggest hearts I’ve ever seen,” and encourages more lower income people to enjoy it.
However, because all produce is required to be organic, few items are less than $5. The gentrified area surrounding the market allows for these high prices, and has begun to discourage lower income families from entering the community. With this in mind, vendors are hopeful the versions of food stamps such as, electronic benefit cards, and vouchers will gain funding to bring in more low income families. This will create a symbiotic relationship, helping them connect more with the neighborhood.
However, as Abel Estrella of Smit Ranch expressed, current grants for lower income families are spent too quickly on small amounts of produce because of high prices. Some argue that it is fruitless for them to go to the farmers market for a shopping trip, and there are other places that offer more for less.
The Ecology Center offers programs specifically for these families, such as Market Match and First 5. Despite their goals, the produce is too costly for them to receive a healthy fulfilling meal. The usual Market Match voucher is only $10, while the cheapest fruits at the market are around $5.
Similarly, the First 5 wants to help newborns to five year olds eat healthy within these early years of development, but again prices are too high. As one employee from Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) stated, “once those twenty dollars are gone, they will not come on their own”.
This has not gone unnoticed by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who aims to increase funding to these programs through the 2018 Senate Farm Bill. Several vendors at the market said, “Berkeley is more open to change” and people “need to dismiss the fact that the farmers market is for people with money.”
Nonetheless, when observing the market there were no obvious differences or signs of hope with the introduction of the bill. Many fall into Estrella’s beliefs, who states that not much will change but does see many electronic benefit card holders for his lower priced perishable food.