MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A program doubling dollars spent at Memphis farmers’ markets by those receiving supplemental nutrition assistance will expand to the downtown Memphis Farmers’ Market this season.

The program, Double Green$, was piloted last year at Cooper-Young Community Farmers’ Market and South Memphis Farmers’ Market. This year, it will continue at these markets and begin at the Memphis Farmers’ Market, the oldest and largest such market in the city.

Double Green$ provides matching funds of up to $10 for shoppers spending Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds at the markets (SNAP is the name given to the food stamp program in 2008).

“It’s a demographic that would generally not be at farmers’ markets, and if they would be at farmers’ markets, would not have nearly the purchasing power that they have through the doubling program,” said Chris Peterson, executive director of GrowMemphis, the nonprofit coordinating the doubling program.

The DoubleGreen$ program began last year with a grant from Wholesome Wave, a national nonprofit organization working to improve accessibility and affordability of locally grown fruits and vegetables. This year’s program is primarily funded through a $20,000 mini-grant from Eat Well Play More Tennessee, a statewide nutrition and physical activity plan to reduce obesity and chronic disease.

“The (Memphis farmers’ market) program encourages low-income families to purchase more healthful food, a goal in line with Eat Well Play More’s objectives,” said Joan Randall of the Vanderbilt Institute for Obesity and Metabolism/Diabetes Center, who serves as executive director of Eat Well Play More Tennessee.

Some private donations and donations from a Whole Foods store located in Memphis have also helped ramp up this year’s program, said Peterson, who noted the program benefits both SNAP recipients and farmers’ market vendors.

“There’s a huge benefit to farmers, especially small farmers who are just getting started, and they have access to funds (from SNAP purchases) they wouldn’t normally be able to access,” he explained.

Under USDA guidelines, participating markets can become authorized SNAP retailers. This allows all vendors at the farmers’ market to accept food stamps without each vendor obtaining individual status as a certified SNAP retailer.

Each farmers’ market has a booth containing an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) machine. SNAP recipients swipe their EBT card at the machine, then receiving tokens for their food stamp dollars plus tokens for the matching DoubleGreen$ funds.

The tokens may be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as vegetable plants, from market vendors. Every vendor at the participating markets is required to accept the tokens. Vendors redeem the tokens through the farmers’ market to receive their funds.

While doubling programs such as DoubleGreen$ have proven popular in urban farmers’ markets, the executive director of GrowMemphis said this is just part of work toward improving access to fresh food for urban residents.

“Memphis is simultaneously the hungriest and most obese city in the country, or at least one of them, depending on which records you look at,” said Peterson. “We also coordinate 28 community gardens around Memphis, and there are other community gardens supported by faith-based and urban farming groups.”

Peterson also works to advocate policies promoting access to fresh, local food. “What we’re doing with the doubling program fits into the other work we’re doing with community gardens in that it’s another way, at least in the short term, of providing fresh, local food to everyone.”