What is the Double Up Food Bucks Program in WNY

Cheryl Bilinski, Local Food Systems Specialist, Farm to School Lead
Harvest New York

June 19, 2014
What is the Double Up Food Bucks Program in WNY

In partnership with lead agency, Field and Fork Network, Harvest NY has forged a national partnership with Fair Food Network to pilot their highly successful program, Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB), in Western NY farmers markets. Using philanthropic funds and existing infrastructure -- farmers markets and EBT - the mechanism SNAP recipients use to receive their benefits -- DUFB matches SNAP purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets up to $20 per visit, to be used on fresh fruit and vegetables grown in NYS. Double Up Food Bucks operates for 16-18 weeks during the peak harvest season, June - October. 

The program aims to meet 3 goals:
1) Improve access to and affordability of fresh fruits and vegetables for low-income families

2) Grow the local economy by supporting purchases from local farmers

3) Inform public policy so that incentives for purchasing healthy foods are built in as part of government-funded nutrition benefits.



This program began in Michigan and was hugely successful. For more information about the history of the program and its movement in Western New York, visit the Field & Fork Network website.

This program has been made possible through the generous support of the John R. Oishei Foundation, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, the First Niagara Foundation and Univera Healthcare.



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Field Guide: Arthropod Pests of NYC Vegetables

Arthropod Pests of NYC Vegetables aims to help urban farmers and gardeners find, identify, and understand the most common and important insects and other arthropod pests found in New York City farms and gardens. Some of these pests are rarely mentioned in other guides but are common in NYC. The guide emphasizes scouting tips, including how to identify pests by the damage they leave behind, even when you can't find the insect itself.

This guide was created as a collaboration between Cornell Cooperative Extension's Harvest New York team and the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program.