1. Understanding Motivators and
Evaluating SNAP/EBT Incentive
Outcomes in Farmers Markets
 Stacy Miller, Farmers Market Coalition
 Migdalia Loyola, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
 Amy Gilroy, Oregon Public Health Institute
 Richard McCarthy, marketumbella.org

4. In•cen•tive theory
 Repetitive action-reward combination can cause
the action to become habit.
 Motivation is mediated by environmental events.
 Applying proper motivational techniques can be
much harder than it seems.
 A person's actions always have social
ramifications; if actions are positively received
people are more likely to act in this manner, or
if negatively received people are less likely to act
in this manner.

6. In•cen•tive
 From Latin incentivus
(circa1400): … “setting
the tune.”
 A reward, tangible or
intangible, presented after
the occurrence of a
behavior with the intent
to cause the behavior to
occur again.
 Associates positive
meaning to the behavior.

7. In•cen•tive
 When we reward A, while hoping for B, are we
achieving the intended outcome?
 Is the external reward the only reason for
continuing a behavior?
“Incentives are no substitute for good management”

8. Motivations
 Intrinsic motivation
◦ Driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task
itself, and exists within the individual rather than
relying on any external pressure.
 Individuals attribute results to factors under
their own control
 Extrinsic motivation
◦ Driven from factors outside of the individual.
e.g. money, grades, trophies, or threat of
punishment.

9. Intrinsic Motivators

10. Motivators for Communities
 Reduced cost to taxpayers
 Formation of partnerships that increase
effectiveness/efficiency
 Ability to engage new and regular
volunteers
 Ability to raise funds; write successful grants
 Adding accessibility and equity to marketing
and promotion themes
 Improved individual well-being and
community health

11. Motivators for Individuals
 Taking care of the family
 Sense of belonging
 Most value for $ spent
(finding a good deal)
 Ability to learn something;
impart knowledge to peers
 Variety of product choices
 Developing relationships
with producers of similar
cultural heritage

12. Motivators for Farmers & Producers
 Access to brand new
customer base
 Increased customer
loyalty
 Building reputation
for high value
 Capturing new
product niches
 Financial literacy

13. What is the “desired behavior?”
What is the “reward?”

14. Accomplishment

15. Sense of Belonging

16. Opportunities to Get Engaged
Learning a Skill

17. What is success?
 Define success in the beginning, and identify its
expected short term and long term indicators
◦ Economic indicators: sales and per person
spending increase, dollars circulated locally
◦ Social indicators: relationships, equity of access,
ethnic, age, and language diversity at market
◦ Human indicators: skills learned, habits changed,
knowledge gained
 Locate or collect all pertinent baseline data

18. “If you don't know where you
are going, you will probably end
up somewhere else.”
 Lawrence Peters

19. Reflection
 What has become clearer?
 What questions do you still have?

20. Discussion
 What defines success to your stakeholders?
 What indicators have you used to measure less
tangible intrinsic motivators being met (like
increased sense of belonging?)
 What and how much data is it appropriate to
collect from incentive participants?
 What examples can you share about
unconventional incentives? What intrinsic
motivator is it seeking to satisfy?

21. Resources
 Real Food, Real Choice: Connecting SNAP
Recipients with Farmers Markets
farmersmarketcoalition.org/real-food-real-choice
 Farmers Market Manager FAQ
farmersmarketcoalition.org/managerfaq
 Information Marketplace Webinars
farmersmarketcoalition.org/information-marketplace
 Seven Ways, Seven Days to Celebrate Farmers
Markets
www.farmersmarketcoalition.org/seven-days-seven-ways-2011
 Oregon Public Health Institute
www.orphi.org
 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
www.preventionminnesota.com