Sustainable development of the agro-food system of Russia and food security

Abstract

The theoretical and methodological basis for the study of food security problems has been substantiated in relation to the goals of sustainable development of the agro-food system. The conceptual positions are the following: multicriterial approach to the estimation of food security; distinction in priorities of food security at the level of national and regional agrifood systems; relation of physical and economic availability of food; orientation on regional particularities in substantiation of directions of agrifood policy. The study reveals the concept of food security in the context of sustainable development of the agro-food system, substantiates the criteria and indicators, proposes methods of assessment. The new risks in the development of the agro-food system associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which aggravated the existing systemic problems and had a negative impact on the level of food security, were identified. A comparative analysis of the level of food security on the example of the Volga Federal District (PFD) regions of the Russian Federation in terms of self-sufficiency, physical and economic availability of food, the stability of the functioning of regional agro-food systems was carried out. Integral indicators of food security and sustainable development of agro-food systems were calculated. This allowed us to carry out the typology of the subjects of the Volga Federal District according to these indicators. The measures contributing to the transition of the agro-food system to the model of sustainable development, the solution of social problems, including the overcoming of negative trends in the post-pandemic economy are formulated.