Photo: Flying Carrot Farm
DARTMOUTH, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Growing season is fast approaching, and some small farmers in Massachusetts are asking lawmakers to put more money into the state's Healthy Incentives Program (HIP).
HIP provides a dollar-for-dollar reimbursement to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients when they buy fresh, local fruits and vegetables from participating Commonwealth farmers - including farmers' markets and farm stands.
Programs like HIP help alleviate food insecurity by giving more people better access to locally grown farm fresh produce.
But local farmers say the amount of money allocated to an EBT card for HIP has gone down from up to $80 a month to $20.
Susan Murray is co-owner of the Flying Carrot in Dartmouth.
She said that loss of buying power is devastating to local farmers in the program. "One farmer I was talking to said she's not sure she can afford the seeds for this year because she didn't get the income she needed at her winter markets," Murray said. "This is devastating for farmers."
Gary Wilkins owns Riverdale Farm in Groton.
His farm is a designated participant of HIP.
He said his farm is experiencing a loss of income over the HIP decrease. "I started to just kind of gear my farm towards it (HIP), and now that it's cut, my sales have gone down 50-60 percent," he said.
Farmers like Gary and Susan are hoping lawmakers decide to allocate more money for the program in the next budget.
WBZ NewsRadio's Carl Stevens (@CarlWBZ) reports.