Kansas and missouri are in the heart of america's breadbasket, yet over 900,000 people in these states rely on federal food assistance

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Mid-America Regional Council Community Services Corporation a $10.07 million Project Grant on September 16, 2025, under the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (CFDA 10.331) to expand a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) incentive initiative across Kansas and Missouri through September 15, 2028. The program provides point-of-purchase financial incentives to low-income SNAP recipients to increase their purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets, grocery stores, and direct-to-consumer outlets. Building on a decade of implementation that distributed $7.8 million in incentives across 163 locations since 2016, this project expands the program to new rural and urban communities while introducing operational innovations to enhance program effectiveness and accessibility.

The project anticipates short-term outcomes including awareness-building for over 350,000 individuals, stimulation of 1.4 million produce purchases totaling $13.4 million in combined SNAP and incentive sales, and medium-to-long-term improvements in household food security and nutrition outcomes in 126 communities. Two sub-awardees support program implementation and evaluation: Kansas State University (University Pre-Awards Services) will coordinate nutrition incentive delivery at participating farm direct locations, and the University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute will conduct a substudy assessing the health impacts of the Double Up Food Bucks healthy food incentive component.

In 2020-2022, 9.6% of kansas residents and 12.2% of missouri residents were regularly without reliable access to affordable, nutritious food.during the past ten years, mid-america regional council (marc) and core partners have implemented a snap incentive program at 163 farmers markets and grocery stores. Since 2016 this program has provided nearly $7.8 million of incentives to snap consumers in over 150 communities. The proposed project builds on that success in kansas and missouri, expanding to new locations in rural and urban communities, while seeking innovations that increase effectiveness and ease of use of the program. All project outcomes are fully aligned with gusnip goals. In the short term, over 350,000 individuals will gain a better understanding of snap incentives, over 1.4 million produce purchases will be made by snap users, totaling nearly $13.4 million in combined snap and incentive sales and increasing the economic viability of local farmers. In the medium term, more than 126 communities will benefit from the value and impact of an established snap incentive program. In the long term, snap users in the target area, including counties with higher snap participation, will experience increased household food security and better nutrition and health outcomes.