Molly Abruzzese ’25 is looking at food insecurity and availability in the Adirondacks, specifically by talking to customers in farmers’ markets.
As Molly Abruzzese ’25 writes:
Through the Upstate Institute, I worked with the food systems program of the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) to research food security in the Adirondack region. ANCA is a 65-year-old economic development organization that focuses on small businesses, food systems, clean energy, and equity and inclusion in the Adirondacks. Access to affordable, healthy, and locally grown food is a pressing issue in the Adirondacks and North Country region. ANCA’s food systems program works to drive economic growth, sustain regional farms, and increase access to local food by working directly with farmers.
My research examined summer farmers’ markets in the Adirondacks, specifically in Franklin, Clinton, Essex, St. Lawrence, and Warren counties. I traveled to each market and surveyed customers about how they learned about the market, what products they bought, and what other products they would like to see. The goal of this study was to determine customer habits at markets to determine future steps to make local food an option for more people. I shared the data I collected with ANCA, who runs two local farmers’ markets, as well as other market managers that I met while surveying. The data I collected this summer will provide market managers insight into the customer’s perspective on purchasing local food at farmers’ markets.
In addition to purchasing habits, I also researched the use of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits at farmers’ markets. A large barrier to purchasing locally sourced food is access and affordability. Healthier foods, like produce, are generally more expensive than purchasing a premade meal of processed food. ANCA hopes to overcome this barrier by expanding the use of SNAP benefits at farmers’ markets, to make fresh produce an easy alternative to prepackaged food. My research examined the current use of this program by looking at the use of SNAP benefits at summer markets in 2022 and 2023. I concluded that there had been a slight increase in the use of SNAP benefits from 2022 to 2023. This is an ongoing project, and the continued collection of data on the levels of use of SNAP benefits will further help inform ANCA, market managers, and other organizations in strategies to increase the use of SNAP benefits at markets.
Many thanks to the Upstate Institute for their support.