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A number of farmers markets have begun to offer matching incentive programs as a way to increase access to fresh foods for low-income families and increase sales among vendors. However, research evaluating the implementation of these programs is limited. This process evaluation study employed a qualitative approach, interviewing vendors (n=19) selling at four farmers markets in Maryland to understand the barriers and facilitators to implementing the Maryland Market Money program. Overall, vendors reported positive attitudes toward the incentive program. Interviewed vendors identified key facilitators such as ease of implementation and positive social and economic impact of the program for participants and themselves. Vendors also discussed barriers, which included a lack of understanding among customers about how the program operated, poor program promotion, and lack of educational materials. Some vendors described nega-Funding Disclosure This research was supported by funding from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and a cooperative agreement between the Maryland Farmers Market Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service. Training support for AAH was provided by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future-Lerner Fellowship. The funders had no role in the design, analysis, or writing of this manuscript.

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