Project
From June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2026

Food Vouchers

Context

Association des marchés publics du Québec (AMPQ) has enlisted the Centre for Social Innovation in Agriculture (CISA) to support its initiative to develop and implement a Quebec-wide food voucher program, an initiative outlined in its most recent action plan.

Food vouchers are purchasing credits provided to individuals facing vulnerability, intended for use in short food supply chains, particularly at public markets. This initiative connects these individuals with local agri-food producers and processors within their regions. Similar programs already exist in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia, where they are managed by provincial public market associations in collaboration with community organizations that distribute the vouchers to eligible recipients.

Currently, Quebec has no province-wide program of this kind. However, the concept has garnered significant interest among AMPQ members and other stakeholders in Quebec’s food security and local food systems ecosystem. According to the Observatoire québécois des inégalités, approximately one million people in Quebec experience food insecurity each year. Research is clear: financial measures aimed at increasing the purchasing power of people in precarious financial situations are essential for effectively addressing food insecurity.

While a few such initiatives exist in Quebec—mostly in Montreal—they remain relatively isolated and predominantly urban. This project seeks to consolidate these initiatives and explore the potential for expanding their reach to other regions in Quebec, particularly rural areas.

 

Project Objectives


The action-research project, titled Strengthening Local Food Systems as a Response to Food Insecurity: Co-Design and Testing of a Food Voucher Program Across Two Quebec Territories, aims to support stakeholders in the Portneuf Regional County Municipality (RCM) and the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. The project involves co-designing, testing, and evaluating prototypes of a food voucher program to promote food security and strengthen local food systems.

Building on proven or ongoing initiatives and inspiring and equipping other Canadian communities, this approach takes a step-by-step path toward scaling up the program provincially.