Daisy Berbeco

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?

We have a responsibility to ensure that no one in Vermont goes hungry. Access to food is essential for health, child development, educational success, and the ability to participate fully in our communities.

In order to do that we have to build a system that allows people to afford to feed themselves and their families, and give them a safety net when they cant. That means strengthening programs like universal school meals, food shelves and meals on wheels, improving access to healthy, local food, and filling gaps when federal programs fail us.

I think we are also responsible for addressing why so many Vermonters need food assistance in the first place. Housing, health care, childcare, transportation, and grocery costs are "eating up" all of people's earnings, so food insecurity is a symptom of our affordability crisis.

When we make investments in food security, we are responsible to truly measure the success of those dollars-- not just by how many people we serve but whether fewer people need the assistance. Our goal should be to make Vermont a place where every person has access to nutritious food and can afford to choose the food that is best for their household.

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

I would look to organizations that work in this sector for their recommendations--they are closest to the problem and can best illuminate the possible solutions.

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

As I noted above, the general affordability crisis shaped at the federal level is what I think drives much of the hunger we see growing in Vermont. People do not earn enough to keep up with rapidly rising costs of housing, transportation, child care and health care.

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?

Incentivize local partnerships for addressing hunger, and ask the farmers and community organizations how to best do that.