Farmers Market Technology

Technology at farmers market is an ever-evolving programmatic component, with a wide array of innovative solutions. There is no one size fits all approach but there are many resources available to find the approach that works best for your community. In the resource section, find information on the options available for EBT and Double Up processing, an overview of currency and accounting mechanisms, and FAQs and common solutions to tech challenges.

Free EBT equipment update – June 2019:

The USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) program offering free farmers market EBT equipment was suspended in November, 2017. As of May, 2019, FNS has re-opened the waitlist for free farmers market EBT machines (email farmersmarket@fns.usda.gov ). There is not yet a date for when the program will return.

Many states offer state-funded programs for free farmers market EBT equipment. Visit the Farmers Market Coalition website for an overview of state programs, and also check in with your state’s Farmers Market Association and local government. Often these programs are housed in the Department of Health and Human Services.

FNS is also exploring how to allow farmers markets to use one EBT machine and FNS # at multiple locations in the future by using GPS. If your market partners are looking to get a new machine, it could be a good idea to pick a machine that has GPS capability if they’d like to use it at multiple locations in the future. There is no date scheduled for this update.