Baltic Journal of Economic Studies

Vol. 2, No. 5, 2016

Corresponding author:
1 Department of Accounting and Taxation, V.O. Sukhomlynskyi National University of Mykolaiv.
E-mail: kot28125@rambler.ru

FORMATION OF THE MECHANISMS
OF FOOD SECURITY AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL

Alla UZHVA1
V.O. Sukhomlynskyi National University of Mykolaiv, Ukraine

Abstract. An important challenge today is to strengthen food security and improve people's lives through increasing
competitive products. The crucial vector of forming food security is activities of agricultural business, which are
directly responsible to the people for providing sufficient high-quality food. In terms of the desire of Ukraine to
integrate as a full partner in the European and world community, the problem of food security is of special significance.
The need for food security of Ukraine requires maintaining an appropriate level of food self-sufficiency, which
involves the use of state support for domestic agricultural producers and measures of import controls to protect
own producers from foreign competition. Subject. The combination of theoretical, methodological approaches and
organizational measures to create mechanisms in order to ensure food security at regional level. Methods. Methods
of comparison, analysis, theoretical and logical synthesis, graphical method are used. The methodological basis is
a comprehensive research method. Purpose. The purpose of the research is to substantiate the need to develop
mechanisms to ensure food security of regions in transition to the concept of sustainable development. Results. It is
established that the priorities of sustainable development of the agricultural sector in the region are the formation
of food security, at the same time, a set of principles is defined that ensure sustainable development of regions;
food security indicators are formed for the people of the region. Components of mechanisms are proposed, which
regulate food security of regions and contribute to provision of the population with quality products in sufficient
quantity. It is found that the basis for monitoring food security in the region and development of mechanisms to
ensure it is the reproduction approach that will help to reveal the totality of processes of “production-distribution-
exchange-consumption” in the defined territory, and to develop a mechanism of management on this basis.
Creation of the Complex Regional Program for Food Quality and Security Assurance is proposed, which should
include issues of improving mechanisms of protection of the regional food market from low-quality and dangerous
products; creation of economic, institutional and social conditions, and mechanisms of wide implementation at the
enterprise level of the quality and environment management system as the most effective tool for ensuring quality
and security of products meeting the requirements and expectations of consumers.

Key words: food security, region, mechanism, agricultural business, food quality.

JEL Classification: Q180, R100, Q130

1. Introduction
Sustainable development of any country and the welfare

of its population are largely dependent on food security.
Food security has a special place in the life support of
society as availability of food is a basic condition of human
life. At the legislative level, food security is defined as the
state of food production in the country that is able to fully
meet the needs of every member of the society for food of
appropriate quality provided its balance and accessibility
to every member of the society (Poltorak, 2015). We fully
agree with the statement of P. Sabluk and I. Lukinov that
enhancing the level of food security through increasing
food production, improving quality and balance for
nutrients, and ensuring greater availability of each
person for food resources for a healthy diet is a strategic

priority of social and economic development of Ukraine
(Lukinov, Sabluk, 2000). Thus, food security should be
formed in the country as a whole and in each region.
This is due to the fact that every region has different
climatic conditions, social and economic status of certain
territories, demographics and available potential. Thus,
food security of the region is understood as an ability of
the social and economic system to create and distribute
food resources, to provide consistently all categories of
the population with food in the defined territory. The
crucial vector of forming food security is the activity of
agricultural business, which is directly responsible to the
people for provision of food of sufficient quality.

The issue of food security is extremely important
because it focuses on conceptual directions of the

Baltic Journal of Economic Studies

Vol. 2, No. 5, 2016
regional agricultural policy in conditions of market
economy transformation.

2. Food Security in Conditions
of Sustainable Development of Regions

Sustainable development, as a world model, integrates
ecological, social and ecological measurement of
environment in a global perspective. During the research,
we consider sustainable development as a permanent
growth of potential of the social and economic system
that can meet the growing needs of present and future
generations for goods and services on the basis of the
established optimal territorial and branch structure,
which will ensure sustainable use of environmental
conditions, drastic reduction in consumption, which
do not recover, preserve biological balance and healthy
environment.

Transition of agricultural business to sustainable
development will mean a qualitative state of the complex
actively functioning system, in which the possible
negative impact of processes on food security of regions
and state of agricultural and ecological systems will be
minimized, or eliminated without consequences for
them. Thus, in terms of the desire of Ukraine to integrate
as a full partner in the European and world community,
the problem of food security is of special significance.
The world practice shows that only the state, which
can guarantee provision of the people with food in
conditions, is able to pursue an independent policy.

The need for food security of Ukraine requires
maintaining an appropriate level of food self-
sufficiency, which involves the use of state support
for domestic agricultural producers and measures of
import controls to protect own producers from foreign
competition. Reliability of food security is both self-
sufficiency with food, and availability of funds for their
import in required quantities with minimum potential
vulnerability of food security of the population in case
of difficulties with imports of food (no currency, rising
prices, embargoes, etc.).

V. Voloshyn and V. Trehobchuk indicate that in every
region of Ukraine, there are specific territorial and
production social systems, which are characterized by
certain composition and structure, and have significant
differences (Voloshyn, Trehobchuk, 2002). So any
region is a complex biological and social, and economic
system, which includes the following subsystems:
nature, society and production. They are interconnected
and interdependent, and should be developed, so that
they could mutually reinforce and complement each
other based on the sustainable use and operation of
natural resources potential.

The priority of transition of regions in Ukraine to the
model of sustainable development is that interests of social
progress, environment and economy are fully balanced,
weighted and optimized for the highest possible number

of demographic, social, environmental, economic,
industrial, technical and technological indicators.
Therefore, a complexity is needed, when deciding on
the rational use and conservation of environment.
Sustainable development of regions defines improvement
of quality of life of the people within capabilities of
the ecosystem and is the next step after the theory of
economic growth. This is a characteristic of sustainability
processes or conditions, which can function indefinitely.
Regional and local authorities provide economic, social
and environmental infrastructure, manage and support it,
define policy and standards in the field of implementation
of national, regional and local resource and ecological
priorities in regions.

Sustainable development of regions should be based
on the following principles:
- protection and maintaining a proper state of
environment of the region in the process of social and
economic development;
- establishing strict liability for the deterioration of
environment;
- implementation of organizational and practical
measures on greening of economic activity, eliminating
sources of negative human impact on environmental
quality;
- ensuring public access for the population and
organizations to environmental information, including
information on hazardous materials and activities;
- carrying out expert assessment of possible
environmental impacts of all activities that may
negatively affect the environment;
- involving organizations and all categories of
the population to achieve objectives of sustainable
development.

We believe that these principles should be taken into
account in the development and approval of regulations,
and social and economic programs of development of
the region, ensuring coordinated activities of the state
and local authorities to solve practical problems and
use of production and resources potential, optimization
of territorial organization, providing food and
environmental security, productive forces, maintaining
social and economic stability of the region.

The development of the agricultural sector of regions
is the main basis of food security of the population
according to rational nutritional standards. Strategy and
tactics of forming food security of Ukraine at the regional
level in conditions of high volatility and uncertainty of
factors of territorial development is particularly urgent
problem for agricultural enterprises of different types
of ownership, which produce goods and services of
different functions in order to ensure food security of
Ukraine at the regional level.

There are the following indicators of food security of
the population of the region: the degree of satisfaction
of physiological needs of the population for nutrients
and energy, diet compliance with the requirements of

Baltic Journal of Economic Studies

Vol. 2, No. 5, 2016
minimization of harmful substances; level of physical and
economic availability of different food categories of the
population; price stability in the food market; independence
of providing citizens with food and resource support of the
agriculture complex on imported supplies; level and pace
of development of industries of the domestic agricultural
complex, possibility of their expanded reproduction; sizes
of strategic food stock in the state reserve and available
food reserves (Kapinus, 2002).

The research has found that the main indicators
of food security of the region are compliance of the
following:
- extent and structure of the final food consumption
with rational physiological consumption norms;
- production potential of areas of agricultural business
sufficient for production of basic foodstuffs in volume
and variety necessary for a safe level of regional exports,
food imports;
- volume and structure of exports and imports of food
at a safe level for the region defined by capabilities of
economically viable production of basic foodstuffs in
the region;
- food quality and security with the requirements of
sanitary and hygienic, ecological and epidemiological
standards of consumption (Iliashenko, 2006).

Thus, maintaining food security requires development
of mechanisms of its implementation, taking into
account requirements of the population for quality
foodstuffs according to rational consumption norms.

3. Food Quality and Security Assurance
The main requirement for the quality of foodstuffs

is security, which ensures no contaminants, common
toxins or any other substance that may make food

products harmful to health. Optimal provision with safe,
nutritious food is inviolable condition and prerequisite
for the protection and promotion of health.

Control over safety and quality of food products is
based on checking the final products of companies in
Ukraine. However, over the last decade in the world,
the tendency has become more significant to realize the
importance of an integrated interdisciplinary approach
with the consideration of the entire food chain, many
of problems related to food safety, arise in the original
production. Given that, in recent years, organization
of food control in many European countries has
undergone reorganization and has become the only
institution responsible for the entire food chain – “from
farm to consumer.” This system has many advantages
and deserves so that it is recommended for Ukraine.

The current system in Ukraine for regulation of food
security largely comes from the legal definition of what
is a dangerous product, programs to enforce the rules
in order to remove these foods from the food market
and imposing sanctions against those, who violate the
relevant regulatory standards. However, it is not very
effective because control of the finished product can
never be sufficiently complete to ensure that pollution
levels are below the established ones, and security,
which cannot be controlled in the finished product. Low
level of responsibility for violations of standards, rules
and regulations and quality of food does not improve
the situation in the field of quality and security of food
in the country (Mykytiuk, Skydan, 2005). The problem
of improving quality and security of food can largely be
solved at the regional level through the formation of the
regional policy.

A negative factor for improving quality of products is the
fact that common interests of new owners of the means of

Measures to improve
control over food

quality and security
on each link from

agricultural producer
to consumer

M easures for
implementation at
local enterprises of
modern quality and

security management
systems

M easures for
implementation of
awareness-raising
activities on issues
of food quality and

security

M easures to
coordinate the work
of concerned parties
in the issue of food
quality and security

assurance

C omplex regional program for food quality and security assurance

M easures for introduction of
the national system of

standardization, accreditation,
confirmation of compliance

at the regional level

M easures for resource
support of implementation

of the program

M easures for creating a
single monitoring system of

implementation and
effectiveness of the program

Fig. 1. Integrated approach to food quality and security assurance at the regional level

Baltic Journal of Economic Studies

Vol. 2, No. 5, 2016
production, management and employees of enterprises
are to achieve a single temporary benefit, and not to
achieve high competitiveness of products and, therefore,
survive in the new economy. Consequently, formation
of the Complex Regional Program for Food Quality and
Security Assurance is proposed, which should include
resolution for issues of improving mechanisms to protect
regional food market from low-quality and dangerous
products; creation of economic, institutional and social
conditions, and mechanisms of wide implementation
at the enterprise level of the quality and environment
management system as the most effective tool for ensuring
quality and safety of products meeting the requirements
and expectations (Fig. 1).

The issue of improving food quality and safety of
domestic food production as one of the main indicators
characterizing level of food security of the state lies in
the plane of the regional agricultural policy, the priority
of which is the improvement of control over quality
and safety of food products. Openness should be an
important principle of the regional policy in the field
of food quality and safety. One of the effective ways
for enforcement on compliance with food quality is
availability for the society of results of food control.

4. Mechanisms for Implementation
of Regional Food Security

Today, regions in Ukraine are divided into consuming
and producing food due to various factors. Some regions
are in need of external food products. Thus, the main
conditions of food security in regions are the following:

- economic availability of food;
- rational combination of food of local production
and imported as a part of a single economic space of the
country;
- lack of interregional trade barriers.
To characterize the state of food consumption in the
region, the following systems of indicators are used:
- composition and structure of the population of the
region;
- cost of living, cost of the minimum food basket
compared to the average monthly wages and welfare
payments, average pension;
- number of people with incomes that are below the
subsistence level;
- share of spending of the population for purchase of
food in the cost structure;
- distribution of income in the society;
- ratio of the monthly food ration with rational norms;
- level and dynamics of food prices;
- development of food trade infrastructure and the
retail trade structure.

Development of the food security system in
the region provides an integrated approach that
includes not only the study of social and economic
conditions in the region and elements of the
food security system, but also interaction of the
state with the system agents including demand
and supply management in the food market,
facilitating creation of infrastructure of food supply,
measures of performance and regulation of the
food market in the region. The research has found
that the reproduction is the basis for monitoring

Mechanisms of food security

Improving food quality Food production

Targeted assistance to the population

Optimal provision with safe food

System of control over food quality and safety

Rules and regulations

Development of infrastructure and logistics

Optimization of interbranch economic
relations

Establishing financial and credit mechanism

Import regulation

Formation of intervention fund

Innovation and technological development

System of organization and management of food security

Fig. 2. Mechanisms of food security of regions

Baltic Journal of Economic Studies

Vol. 2, No. 5, 2016
food security in the region and development of
mechanisms to ensure it. Thus, reproductive
approach allows not only to prove the priority of
ensuring formation of food security in individual
regions, but also leads to differences of regional
strategy from providing the national one. After all,
components of the mechanism of food security at
the regional level are present in Figure 2.

This approach makes it possible to identify the totality
of processes of “production-distribution-exchange-
consumption” in the defined territory, and on this
basis to develop a mechanism of control. It is possible
to define the regional system, its financial foundation
of development, sources of funds and mechanism of
their involvement in the territory only if the regional
economy is considered as a complete system with its
own set of reproductive relations.

The priority at the current stage of development is
considered as competitive domestic production of food
through development of a large domestic food market,
saturation of the domestic consumer market with
competitive goods and gradual replacement of imports
by domestic products. This is necessary not only to
ensure economic and food security of the region and
the country as a whole, but also to fight unemployment,
provide income growth for both consumers and
producers, form the revenue part of budgets of all levels
due to tax revenues, develop investment in the economy
of the region. Thus, implementation of the reproductive
approach to solving the food problem determines the
priority of forming the food safety system at the regional
level.

5. Conclusions
The issue of food security has an important place

in concepts of the national security of all developed
countries. In terms of the desire of Ukraine to integrate in
the European community, the problem of food security
is of special significance. The crucial factor of social and
economic development of the state is to ensure food
security at the regional level. Transformation processes
in the agricultural sector should be primarily focused on
providing all categories of the population with quality
food in the required quantity and assortment. The issue
of food quality and security cannot be underestimated as
they are important signs of the food chain. Development
of the effective national and regional monitoring systems
for quality and security of food products, stimulating
local enterprises for production of “healthy” food will
provide conditions to overcome technical barriers for
promotion of products to foreign markets, to increase
the credibility of domestic producers in foreign and
domestic markets, to contribute to improvement of
public health. For regions, production for domestic
consumption of basic foodstuffs is an important factor.
It is necessary to develop mechanisms for changing
types and forms of the state support for agriculture; to
improve regulation of food imports, to introduce quotas
on imports of competitive products that are produced
in abundance in the region; to carry out a single anti-
monopoly policy in the agricultural sector. We believe
that further studies of this problem should pay attention
to the assessment of performance of mechanisms of
food security at the regional level taking into account
characteristics of each region.

References
Voloshyn, V., & Trehobchuk, V. (2002). Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Development of Regions of
Ukraine. Regional Economics, Vol. 1, p. 7–22.
Iliashenko, V. (2006). Mechanisms of the State Management of Sustainable Development of Food Supply in
Ukraine. Collection of Research Papers of NADU, Vol. 1, p. 88–94.
Kapinus, Y. (2002). Food Problem: Ukraine in the International Dimension. State Management in Conditions of
Integration of Ukraine in the European Union. Materials of Research and Application Conference, p. 247–248.
Mykytiuk, V., & Skydan, О. (2005). Formation of Food Security in Ukraine: Regional Aspect – Zhytomyr,
Publishing House of State Agricultural and Ecological University, 248 p.
Poltorak, A. (2015). Comprehensive Assessment of Food Security of Ukraine. Economic Journal – XXI,
Vol. 7–8 (2), p. 15–18.
Lukinov, І., & Sabluk, P. (2000). On the Strategy of Transforming Agriculture and Food Security of Ukraine:
Scientific Report. Agricultural Economics. Vol. 8, p. 3–36.

Алла УЖВА
ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ МЕХАНИЗМОВ ПРОДОВОЛЬСТВЕННОЙ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ НА
РЕГИОНАЛЬНОМ УРОВНЕ
Аннотация. Важной проблемой настоящего является укрепление продовольственной безопасности и
повышение уровня жизни населения на основе увеличения объемов конкурентоспособной продукции.
Определяющим вектором формирования продовольственной безопасности является деятельность
субъектов аграрного бизнеса, которые несут непосредственную ответственность перед населением за
достаточное обеспечение качественным продовольствием. В условиях стремления Украины интегрироваться
как полноценный партнер в европейское и мировое общество проблема продовольственной безопасности

Baltic Journal of Economic Studies

Vol. 2, No. 5, 2016
приобретала особое значение. Необходимость обеспечения продовольственной безопасности
Украины требует поддержание соответствующего уровня продовольственного самообеспечения,
которое предусматривает использование государственной поддержки отечественных производителей
сельскохозяйственной продукции и употребления мероприятий импортного контроля с целью защиты
собственных производителей от иностранной конкуренции. Предмет исследования. Совокупность
теоретических, методических подходов и организационных мероприятий по формированию механизмов
обеспечения продовольственной безопасности на региональном уровне. Методология. В процессе
исследования применены методы сравнения, анализа, теоретического и логического обобщения,
графический метод. Методологической основой стал комплексный метод исследования. Цель. Цель
исследования заключается в обосновании необходимости формирования механизмов обеспечения
продовольственной безопасности регионов в условиях перехода на концепцию устойчивого развития.
Результаты. Установлено, что приоритетными направлениями устойчивого развития аграрной сферы
региона является формирование продовольственной безопасности, при этом определенно ряд принципов,
которые обеспечивают устойчивое развитие регионов; сформированы показатели продовольственного
обеспечения населения региона. Предложены составляющие механизмов регуляции продовольственной
безопасности регионов, которые будут способствовать обеспечению населения качественной продукцией
в достаточном количестве. Выяснено, что в основу мониторинга продовольственной безопасности
региона и разработки механизмов ее обеспечения должен быть поставлен воспроизводительный подход,
который даст возможность обнаружить всю совокупность процессов «производство-распределение-
обмен-потребление» на определенной территории, и на этой основе разработать механизм их управления.
Предложено формирование Комплексной региональной программы обеспечения качества и безопасности
продовольствия, которая должна предусматривать решение вопросов усовершенствования механизмов
защиты регионального продовольственного рынка от некачественной продукции; создание экономических,
организационных и социальных предпосылок и механизмов широкого внедрения на уровне предприятий
систем управления качеством как наиболее эффективного инструмента обеспечения качества и безопасности
продукции, удовлетворения требований и ожиданий потребителей.