Each state takes care of its security. What is needed for optimal life of the country's population? This is protection against threats, the satisfaction of primary needs, and only then a series of spiritual and cultural needs. No one will deny that one of the primary needs of any person is the need for food. The state must take care of the food security of its residents. This is one of the main goals of economic and agricultural policy. What is the food security of Russia will be described in detail in our article.
Food protection
The first document demonstrating the need for food security appeared in the Roman Empire. It was a special declaration stating the obligation of any ruler to protect the right of people to access food that is safe for life and health. The right to freedom from hunger was proclaimed.
The Food Security Doctrine of the Russian Federation does not have such pathos definitions as in the document of ancient Rome. But there are clear indications of security elements, existing problems and threats, ways to protect people from hunger, and much more. In addition, a clear definition of food security is given: this is the economic condition of the country, in which the social independence of Russia is protected, and the affordability of food at affordable prices and in the required quantities is guaranteed.
Food security needs to be maintained for socio-economic stability in the country and for an active and healthy lifestyle.
The role of food security
Food is a basic indicator of a person’s standard of living. The way the population eats indicates the degree of its economic development. Food was and will be the main criterion by which it is possible to assess the level of socio-economic well-being in the country. It is necessary to justify why food is a fundamental factor in the development of a state.
Lack of water and food arises most often due to natural disasters that can be caused by war, natural disasters, economic crises, radical political or social changes, etc. At the same time, it is the limited availability of food products that leads to the same wars, crises, revolutions, etc. Thus, everything is tied to food products initially.
Russia's food security is a central issue in the system of national well-being. It depends on it the economic and political situation in the country. There are several criteria by which you can assess the state of food security in the state:
- level of economic and physical availability of food products;
- level of consumption of basic types of food per capita;
- production volumes in agricultural, marine and other spheres for food production;
- volumes of state reserve funds and much more.
Sociologists have long calculated the level of food security in the Russian state. We are talking about a state of "slightly above average." Most likely, the assessment could already change, because at the end of 2017, the authorities announced the depletion of the reserve fund.
National security system
What should be understood as a national security system? Firstly, this is a concept of a socio-political nature. It includes elements of the security of society, the state or an individual in various fields: economics, ecology, information, etc.
To meet the needs of citizens in various fields, it is necessary to work hard. Moreover, the priority order of needs should be understood. Here you need to turn to the famous pyramid of social requirements developed by Abraham Maslow. The psychologist argued that the primary need is protection from all sorts of threats. A person should feel calm and safe, and only then will he have other requirements. This is just the need for drink and food. If a person satisfies himself in this, then spiritual needs will arise: in communication, love, respect, etc.
The state must remember the Maslow pyramid. That is why the Food Security Doctrine of the Russian Federation, although informally, is more important, for example, "Fundamentals of Legislation on Culture."
From how satisfied the needs of the population for food, we can draw conclusions about its well-being. In turn, the level of well-being of the population affects social peace. It is unlikely that a people who are satisfied even with their primary needs will think about the violent overthrow of power, revolution, and other radical ways of fighting the state.
National security strategy
The problem of food security was acute in the 90s of the last century. Then the Russian authorities were not able to somehow establish the situation in the country. The social support of the population was zero, and therefore the people had to act independently.
A significant step that the authorities took in the 90s was the development and implementation of the Food Security Doctrine. The document spoke about the current situation in the country and about the goals for the next few years. Subsequently, the Doctrine changed several times. The latest version of the document was adopted in 2010, and its provisions were taken as the basis for the development of the National Security Strategy until 2020. This is the 2015 document, which supplemented the Doctrine a bit. Thus, the Strategy speaks of supporting the food sector by artificially creating competition in various fields.
The strategic goal of the food security system is to continuously and fully provide Russian citizens with high-quality agricultural and fish products. A guarantee of security is the stability of domestic production and the availability of necessary reserves and reserves.
The National Security Strategy spells out measures the implementation of which will help develop food security in the country. Here are the highlights:
- implementation of the policy of budget subsidies for the food sector;
- the optimal combination of market and state regulation of prices;
- regulation of imports on food strategy issues;
- regulation of the level and structure of retail food prices.
Thus, the goal of the national strategy for national security is to support the optimal level of production in the country.
Statistics
The doctrine aimed at ensuring food safety is designed for the period 2013-2020. There are many numbers in the document - desired indicators and threshold values. So, for the indicated period in the total volume of commodity resources it is necessary to achieve the following threshold indicators:
- grain - not less than 95%;
- fish products - from 80%;
- dairy products - not less than 90%;
- meat products - from 85%, etc.
Are the specified requirements met? According to sociologists, the plan is only one-third complete. From this we can conclude that the existing food security is unsatisfactory.
For a better understanding of the situation in Russia, you should take a look at world indicators. According to experts, already 1 billion people on the planet have limited access to food and clean water. The UN Agricultural Committee predicts a slowdown in food sector growth of 0.3% over the next 10 years. Deal the market and severe climate change. At the moment, we can talk about a quarter of rapidly degrading agricultural land.
The Russian Federation against the general background looks pretty decent. It is not included in the top ten countries in the ranking of food security, but takes 29th place. It affects the bioclimatic potential. However, there are also inhibitory factors - for example, low state support.
Impact of Sanctions
Over the past three years, Russia's food security indicators have plummeted. It is easy to guess what this may be connected with: foreign sanctions played a significant role in the socio-economic degradation of the country. Did they really have such a detrimental effect on the country's economy, or is this a common myth? Let's try to figure it out.
Needless to say, how much does the country's national security depend on its own foreign policy? The relationship of these two factors is undeniable. Some Russian politicians, however, prefer to deny this connection. In their opinion, food and other security will not change in any way when foreign sanctions are imposed on the country. Is there any logic in this? The answer has already been given by many experts. In their view, sanctions entail the following problems:
- the need for import substitution - the procedure is quite complicated and costly;
- the emergence of negative processes and additional risks when Russia appears on the world stage (Russia's membership in the WTO is already in question);
- intensification of problems of state subsidization of the agricultural sector;
- implementation of the State Program (Doctrine) in the face of a slowdown in economic growth in Russia, therefore, a departure from many of the goals and requirements set earlier;
- the emergence of complex macroeconomic conditions and systemic problems in the agricultural sector;
- differentiation of participation of the Russian regions in matters of ensuring food security;
- strengthening monopolism in many areas of the economy;
- the fall of the ruble relative to the world currency exchange rate, etc.
All these problems are more than enough to abruptly and forcefully change the current economic course. There can only be one conclusion: the influence of the sanctions imposed on Russia by foreign partners cannot be underestimated. Due to economic problems, the very concept of food security has taken on a different meaning. Now this is not the modernization of a separate branch of the economic sphere, but only the preservation of stability.
Food Challenges
The doctrine of food security is based on the principles of socio-economic independence of the state, ensuring guarantees of the availability of products for every citizen and the achievement of compliance with the minimum standards set forth in the documents. If these three principles are respected, then the food situation in the country can be called optimal. What is the current situation in Russia?
The country has strong national sovereignty. In matters of a socio-economic nature, it really does not depend on anyone. Also, for every citizen living in Russia, all the necessary food products are fully available - there are no problems. But with the last criterion in recent years there are many difficulties. Statistics show that the minimum threshold set by the Food Security Doctrine has not remained unattainable.
Does the basic principle remain - ensuring the country's food independence? Here you can answer positively. Despite the difficulties in implementing the plan, the Russian authorities managed to maintain a relatively normal level of food security in the country.
Import substitution
In recent years, the authorities have only been talking about ways to replace the import procedure. In her opinion, this is the only possible way to maintain the optimal level of economic development in the country during the crisis period. Accordingly, import substitution can affect the state of food security. Is this really so, or has the state once again created a mythical way to solve the problem?
It should be noted right away that replacing import flows in the agricultural sector alone is a very long and complicated procedure. It will take more than one or two years, and therefore it is not worth placing special hopes on import substitution. The only possible option for a quick resolution of the problem, namely a compromise with Western partners, the government does not accept. And therefore it remains to talk about ways to replace imports as a "saving" procedure.
Import substitution will not help restore the agricultural sector in the near future. There are several reasons for this:
- Underdevelopment of the cooperative movement in Russia. For example, in European countries, it is cooperatives that are a kind of catalyst for the entire agricultural sector.
- Problems with the agri-food infrastructure. Most manufacturers simply do not have access to it.
- The constant shortage of new machinery and equipment. The reasons are clear - the lack of proper state support to farmers, at least in the form of installments or loans at a low rate.
- Shortage of production and financial resources.
- High dependence of individual agricultural sectors on imports. The country receives seeds, machinery, genetic material, some animals and much more.
Thus, there are an incredible amount of problems in the agricultural sector of Russia, and import substitution alone will not help here. Especially when it comes to the near term.
Food addiction
Despite constant talk about the importance of import substitution, today Russia has a real chance to lose its food independence. There are reasons for this.
Experts say a noticeable exacerbation of price imbalances between agriculture and industry. This is due to the rejection of reasonable paternalism in relation to domestic producers, as well as the almost complete opening of the domestic market for food imports. All this, of course, undermines the basis for self-sufficiency.
Authorities flow from one extreme to another. Already today they are thinking about breaking off all ties with the foreign market. The question is being raised about the country's withdrawal from the WTO, as well as the introduction of new requirements for food security. All this, of course, will only aggravate the situation.
Internal and external threats to food security
For the food sector in Russia, many dangers and threats have been prepared. The authorities, experts, and ordinary people know this. The authorities are trying to solve problems, but they are not always doing it right. Experts in every possible way help the state. So, sociologists have classified all potential threats into two groups. The first block of problems is called internal.
No one will deny that agriculture in our country is very specific. The harsh climate and difficult environmental conditions make themselves felt. So, from one hectare you can harvest less grain than in the United States of America. In this case, much more human and machine labor will be involved. The same goes for livestock. The maintenance and development of livestock alone is very expensive for Russians. From all this, only one conclusion can be drawn: agriculture in the country is extremely unreliable, and all because of difficult natural conditions. This is the first internal problem.
The second danger lurking inside the country lies in the actions of state authorities. It is precisely the authorities that sometimes act not very wisely, thereby creating a real threat to the food sector. State support for business executives is almost zero. You can verify this by examining the country's budget for 2018. The agrarians themselves are also dissatisfied. Due to monopoly policies, livestock are destroyed and private farms are destroyed. Excessively high taxes should also be included here.
The only external problem for the food sector in Russia is the sanctions policy of Western countries. No matter how convincing the reverse power is, sanctions do enormous damage to the current economy.
Thus, the agricultural sector in Russia needs to be reformed. The doctrine, approved in 2011, reflects only a small part of the requirements. .