The Centre for Local Prosperity undertook an extensive evaluation process to capture the impact of our 2024 Nourishing Communities Food Coupon Program. To read the full report, please click here! The Executive Summary can be found below.
Executive Summary
The completion of the 2024 Nourishing Communities Food Coupon Program marked six full years of an initiative that began in 2019 as a pilot project aiming to support food security in households across Nova Scotia. Simultaneously, the program has supported local producers and vendors, and more broadly, their respective local food systems and economies.
Community support for the Nourishing Communities Program has increased year over year since the program’s inception, but so has the cost of living, and with it, food insecurity. Funding from the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage has been instrumental to this program’s success (e.g., $494,800 in 2022, $422,400 in 2023, and $672,400 in 2024). While we are grateful and encouraged by the support for and success of the Nourishing Communities program, the need for it among Nova Scotians continues to rise. While FMNS continues its work to secure increased, secure funding for the program, our 2024 program objectives remained the same as years past:
- To provide financial support to those in need to access healthy food, recognizing that 28.9%, more than 1 in 4 people in Nova Scotia are food insecure, the highest rate amongst the provinces;
- To provide an experience that supports physical, mental, and community health; and
- To support local producers and farmers in developing a robust and resilient food system in Nova Scotia.
With funding support from: the Nova Scotia government department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage ($672,400) and Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia (FMNS) fundraisers and merchandise contributions ($3,700), FMNS distributed $463,125 worth of Market Bucks (also referred to as “Food Bucks”) over an 8-month period to 599 households (an average of approximately $776 per household) across 33 participating farmers’ markets across the province. The 33 markets that participated in the program in 2024 were:
| Markets Continuing from Previous Years | |
|---|---|
| Alderney Landing Farmers’ Market | Merigomish Schoolhouse Farmers’ |
| Annapolis Royal Farmers and Traders Market | Musquodoboit Harbour Farmers’ Market |
| Antigonish Farmers’ Market | New Glasgow Farmers’ Market |
| Argyle Farmers’ Market | Portapique Farmers’ Market |
| Avon Community Farmers’ Market | Privateer Farmers’ Market |
| Barrington Farmers’ Market | Prospect Communities Farmers’ Market |
| Bridgewater Farmers’ Market | Pugwash Farmers’ Market |
| Chester Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market | Shelburne Guild Hall Market |
| Fairview Farmers’ Market | Springhill Farmers’ Market |
| Halifax Brewery Market | Spryfield Farmers’ Market |
| Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market | Tantallon Village Farmers’ Market |
| Hope Blooms Farmers’ Market | Tatamagouche Farmers’ Market |
| Hubbards Farmers’ Market | Truro Farmers’ Market |
| Kentville Farmers’ Market | Wolfville Farmers’ Market |
| Lunenburg Farmers’ Market | Yarmouth Farmers’ Community Market |
| Mabou Farmers’ Market | |
| New Markets for 2024 | |
| Louisbourg Farmers’ Market | New Germany Farmers’ Market |
By nearly any measure, the 2024 Nourishing Communities Food Coupon Program was a great success. Consider the following highlights:
- High redemption rates: Coupon redemption rates were extremely high; in 2024, 97.14% of all coupons were redeemed. This figure is higher than all five previous iterations of the program (88.9%, 86%, 86.5%, 96.5%, 95.7% redemption rate from 2019-2023 respectively).
- Healthy spending choices: Despite being given no instructions or restrictions on how coupons could be redeemed, participants overwhelmingly made healthy spending decisions on locally sourced food, demonstrating a clear need for support to purchase these items. More than 81% of all coupons redeemed were used directly towards the purchase of foods, which included produce, prepared foods, value-added foods and other agri-food products (compared with 79% last year, and 74% in 2022). 27% of all redemptions were for produce – the same as last year.
- Engaged participants: 453 participants (76% of all program participants) completed an exit survey at the conclusion of the program to evaluate their experience (results included within the report). This is a significantly high response rate for this type of engagement.
- Tangible benefits: When asked to evaluate the overall benefit of the program, 95% of respondents indicated that the program provided either ‘a significant amount of benefit’ or ‘quite a bit of benefit’ (this is on par with 95% in 2022 and 2023, and up significantly from 80% in 2021). Four percent said the program offered ‘some benefit but not much’, and just 0.05% of respondents indicated they received no real benefit at all.
- Expanding social networks: 80% of participants indicated they made at least one new friend or social contact through their participation in the program. This is similar to the previous two years (77% in 2023 and 79% in 2022), with a significant increase from the first three years of the program (57% in 2019, 43% in 2020, and 61% in 2021).
- Diversifying dietary choices: 87% of participants bought/consumed foods that were not part of their diet previously (similar to 88% in 2023, 89% in 2022, 88% in 2021 and 82% in 2020).
- Expected long-term dietary changes: 82% of participants expect to make long-term changes to their diet because of their participation in this program. This is up from 78% last year, on par with 82% in 2022, and up significantly from 61%, 62% and 50% in the first three years of the program.
- Increased sense of community belonging: 95% of participants report feeling more connected to their community because of their participation in this program. This is up from 93% last year, 89% in 2022, and 85% during the pilot year.
- Eating healthier: 91% of participants reported eating healthier foods than usual during their participation in the program (on par with 2022 and 2023, and up slightly from the first three years of the program – 81%, 87% and 85%).
- Freeing budgets to meet other needs: 94% of participants – as a result of this program – felt they had more money to meet their other (non-food/grocery) needs. This percentage is similar to the range of the first five years with 88%, 85%, 94%, 94% and 92%.
- Good value for money: 94% of participants believe they received good value for their Market Bucks overall (this is consistent with 97% in 2019 and 2022, and slightly up from 93% in 2020 and 91% in 2021).
- Spending time browsing and socializing: 64% of all market going respondents reported that they stayed at the market for more than 30 minutes each week (up from 62% last year, 59% in 2022, and 41% in 2021), while an additional 26% said they stayed between 21-30 minutes (down from 29% last year). Only 10% of participants reported staying less than 20 minutes (on par with last year).
- Making it a social outing: 65% of market going respondents either always or often attended the market with a family member or friend (up from 60% last year and 56% in 2022). 20% sometimes attended the market with someone else (up from 19% in 2023), while 15% either never or almost never attended the market with someone else (down from 21% in 2023 and 27% in 2022).
- Extended reach of purchased foods: 84% of all respondents indicated that other people in their household regularly consumed products they purchased/received as part of the Nourishing Communities program (similar to 85% last year, but up significantly from 61% in 2022, and 73% in 2021). On average, participants regularly shared their purchased foods with 3.07 other people (up from 2.68 in 2023, 2.35 in 2022, and 1.87 in 2021). Therefore, more participants regularly shared their purchased foods in 2023 compared to 2022, and of the people who did share, they shared with a larger number of people.
- Injecting more money into the local economy: 72% of market going participants reported spending additional money during their market visits/orders on top of their Market Bucks (up from 65% last year, and 66% in 2022). 44% (significantly higher than 32% in 2023) of participants reported spending more than $10 of non-Market Bucks money per visit, on average, with 25% of that group spending more than $20 of non-market Bucks money (i.e. cash) per visit. A conservative estimated average of additional expenditure per participant was $8.44 per visit. This is up from $7.51 in 2023.
- Economic impact: Though not directly measured, is presumed to be significant. All coupons were redeemed for locally produced foods and goods, resulting in minimal economic leakage. Similar to the prior five years of the program, participants continued to note that knowing they were supporting local producers when using their market bucks was an important aspect of their program experience.
- High interest in further participation: 98% of participants would participate in the program again, if given the opportunity.
- Continued market visits: 91% of participants (up from 88% in 2023) would like to continue visiting their farmers’ market on a regular basis now that the program has ended. However, of the 91%, 47% of them are unable to without the help of the program. Only 3% said they would not be interested without the program and 6% were unsure, citing some of the things that may get in the way like markets being closed during certain seasons, only being able to shop when their funds allow for it, and not being able to spend the same amount of money without the program.
- Positive life impact: 98% of respondents agreed that ‘this program had a positive impact on my life’, with 85% strongly agreeing, and 13% somewhat agreeing.
In addition to these measures, participants from all 33 markets offered glowing endorsements of the program. Here are several examples:
It was a great help to have the certainty that I would have consistent provision of food for my family weekly. So I wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to afford fresh and healthy foods for my kids
It was fantastic to be able to use the Market money at any vendor (not just select vendors). I was able to try more variety of healthy foods than I would have had the means to without participating in this. Now that I have tried these varieties I have expanded by diet and have so many new favorite foods and items to buy locally. I also LOVE that this enabled me to support local (vs chain store if it was a Sobeys gift card)
I’m so thankful we were chosen to be a part of the program. My 3yr old asks almost daily if it’s market day and loves to check out so many vendors. We’ve been able to try new foods and support so many people we wouldn’t usually be able to without the program.
Not only did this program significantly help me financially and with my physical/mental/emotional health and wellbeing; it benefitted the Market also. I will continue to purchase items at the market that I only had the opportunity to try because of the market bucks. Also, I always brought a group of people with me and everyone always bought products also. Also, telling people about this provision and experience was a good marketing tool. People (friends, family) were so impressed it encouraged/motivated them to look into (learn about this program) and to support the local market. Win Win Win. Fabulous.
The program has been fantastic for our family. We live in a time where money is hard, and this financially helped immensely to be able to purchase fresh local foods and cook from scratch. We were able to try food we have never tried before, and things we don’t typically see in a grocery store. I love knowing the vegetables and meat I’m getting are locally sourced and organic without pesticides and other added growth hormones. I feel better knowing we are giving good food to our daughter. This program is amazing and we are very grateful to have been a part of it.
