Ben Bosley

What do you believe is the role of state government, if any, in ensuring that everyone living in Vermont has the food they need to thrive?

I believe state government has a responsibility to help ensure that every Vermonter has access to enough nutritious food to thrive. At its most basic, that means providing a reliable floor so that no one in our state goes hungry and making programs such as 3SquaresVT and school meals accessible, efficient, and easy to navigate.

But we also need to recognize that food insecurity is fundamentally an affordability problem. When housing, healthcare, childcare, utilities, and other necessities consume too much of a household’s income, families are forced to make impossible choices about food.

So our goal should be twofold: maintain a strong safety net for people who need it while addressing the economic conditions that create food insecurity in the first place. That means increasing affordable housing, supporting good-paying jobs and wages through initiatives such as my proposed Green Mountain Conservation Corps, reducing major household costs, and building an economy in which more Vermonters can afford their basic needs.

What would be your policy priorities to move Vermont toward food security for all?

I would support maintaining Universal School Meals, maximizing available federal food-assistance dollars, and making programs easier to access. I would also support effective programs like Crop Cash, Farm Share, and Vermonters Feeding Vermonters that connect lower-income Vermonters with healthy local food while supporting Vermont farmers. Finally, food insecurity is fundamentally an affordability issue. We must address housing, healthcare and other major household costs while creating good-paying jobs through initiatives such as my proposed Green Mountain Conservation Corps so more Vermonters can afford nutritious food without assistance.

What do you believe are the root causes of hunger, and what should the state do to address those underlying factors?

I believe the root causes of hunger are largely economic. When the costs of living rises faster than incomes, food often becomes one of the few expenses families can reduce.

That's why addressing hunger requires both a strong safety net and a broader affordability strategy. We should ensure that no Vermonter goes hungry through effective food-assistance programs while addressing the conditions that make those programs necessary in the first place. That means expanding affordable housing, including through my proposal for a Vermont public bank that could help finance housing and other public priorities; supporting good-paying jobs and workforce development through initiatives such as my proposed Green Mountain Conservation Corps; reducing major household costs; and strengthening Vermont's local food economy. Our long-term goal should not simply be helping more people manage food insecurity. It should be building a Vermont where fewer people experience it in the first place.

How would you help strengthen the state’s agriculture and food economy to ensure Vermont farms can continue to grow the food we all need?

My proposed Green Mountain Public Bank could expand access to affordable, patient capital for farmland, equipment, farmworker housing, processing infrastructure, renewable energy, and conservation improvements. My proposed Green Mountain Conservation Corps could create paid training and employment opportunities while partnering on eligible projects that improve soil health, water quality, flood resilience, and other agricultural and conservation needs.

I would also strengthen markets for Vermont-grown food by supporting farm-to-school and farm-to-institution purchasing, local food programs, and infrastructure that helps Vermont producers process, store, distribute, and sell their products.The goal is a Vermont food economy where farmers can remain economically viable while producing food, creating jobs, and protecting the land on which our future depends.