We have made three trips to Washington to advocate for small farmers, and GusNIP is the program we come back to every time. It is the one policy lever that does two things at once: it puts more money into the hands of small farms selling locally, and it puts more fresh food into the hands of families who need it most. That combination is rare in federal agriculture policy, and worth fighting for. We wrote about why it matters in AL.com earlier this year.
Going Through the Open Doors
All three of our DC trips have been made possible through our partnership with Bread for the World, a non-profit working to end hunger in the US and around the world. They have helped open doors that most small farmers never get near, and we are grateful for that. We have taken the stories we have heard and lived in the small sustainable farmer space directly to Congress — bringing a point of view that is not often in those rooms: the voice of the small, direct-to-consumer farmer in rural Alabama.
Why We Support GusNIP
GusNIP — the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program — is a federal program that doubles the purchasing power of SNAP recipients when they buy fresh, locally-grown produce. When SNAP participants can double their dollars at our farmers market, we sell more product and more families in Crenshaw County eat better food. That is the whole idea: more fresh food gets to the people who need it, and more of those dollars stay in the local farm economy.
Supporting GusNIP in Congress is not only good for Alabama farmers — it directly improves the health of our communities. Alabama consistently ranks among states with the highest rates of diet-related illness. Putting fresh, locally-grown produce within reach for low-income families is one of the most direct things federal policy can do about that.
What GusNIP Means for Small Farms
Market access. Low-income families who rely on SNAP often can't afford fresh produce at full price. GusNIP incentives change that math, creating a real and consistent revenue stream for small farms across Alabama.
Community health. More affordable fresh produce means more families in food deserts can eat the way they want to. That matters in a county like ours where the diet-related health numbers are hard to look at.
Sustainable demand. As more consumers choose locally-grown food, demand for responsible farming grows. GusNIP helps drive that demand in the communities that need it most.
The Problem With the Match Requirement
Here is something most people outside the policy world do not know: GusNIP requires organizations to match federal dollars one-for-one to participate. In a persistent poverty county like Crenshaw County, that match requirement is not a barrier. It is a wall. The communities that need GusNIP most are the ones least able to meet the match. We have pushed Congress directly to reform this requirement so that rural organizations in underserved areas can actually use the program.
What We Keep Asking For
Full GusNIP funding. Reform of the match requirement for persistent poverty counties. A Farm Bill that treats small farms as the community infrastructure they are, not as an afterthought to industrial agriculture. We will keep making that case as long as the doors stay open.
If you want to help, contact your representatives and tell them you support GusNIP and small farm funding in the Farm Bill. It matters more than most people realize.
Follow our advocacy journey at #lolleylobbyist and #mayimfarm.