Carol Ode

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?

If the federal government does not fund 3 Squares, then donors to food organizations, Hunger Free Vermont contributions and the State of Vermont would fill part of the gap with organically and/or sustainably grown food.

HungerFree Vermont can also encourage home gardening, like the successful World War II Victory Garden campaign.

During WWII, millions of households grew Victory Gardens, and by 1944 home gardeners were producing an estimated 40% of the nation's fresh vegetables. Home gardening remained common after the war, but over the following decades Americans became increasingly dependent on commercial farms, processing, supermarkets, and long supply chains.

Today, hunger is driven by poverty and the inability to afford food in addition housing, etc.

In Vermont, we can support viable local farms, community and household food production, access to land and gardening resources, regional food infrastructure, and markets that connect Vermont farmers with Vermonters who need food.

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

In addition to my past support for the Universal School Meals program to ensure all children in Vermont have access to breakfast and lunch every school day, making local foods more accessible through programs like Crop Cash, Farm Share, and Vermonters Feeding Vermonters, and establishing the Farm & Forestry Operations Security Special Fund, I will support preserving -- with incentives -- some farmland close to where people live and work so they can buy Vermont-produced and Vermont-grown foods.

I think of "Farmstand" near hundreds of housing units off Spear Street in Burlington and I think of Burlington's Intervale. Farms and farm products near

I envision a campaign led by Hunger Free Vermont to have households grow and raise their own food/ a Victory Garden approach!

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

I believe we need to look at the structure and resilience of our food system in addition to addressing Vermont's affordability crisis.

The consolidation of agriculture, loss of farmland and small farms, dependence on long supply chains, limited access to land for household and community food production, and the rising costs faced by farmers all affect food security.

Environmental degradation, including soil loss and harmful agricultural practices, can also undermine our ability to produce healthy food sustainably over the long term.

We need policies that make it possible for Vermonters to afford the basics while also investing in the underlying food system. That means supporting Vermont farmers and farm viability, protecting agricultural land, strengthening regional food processing and distribution, expanding community gardens and opportunities for household food production, and increasing access to locally produced, nutritious food through schools, institutions, and community programs.

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?

I would ask the farmers what obstacles they face.

We should also make sure that emergency food assistance remains available to people who need it, but emergency food should not be our only strategy. The goal should be to build a Vermont where people can afford to feed themselves and their families, farmers can earn a sustainable living, and communities have greater capacity to produce and access healthy food locally.

Food security is ultimately about more than having food available. It is about whether people have the economic resources, physical access, healthy environment, and resilient local food system necessary to reliably obtain nutritious food.