UDC 339.9:338.439.02:[332.122:338.43]
Kulish, I. M. (2015). Prodovol'cha bezpeka v systemi priorytetiv ekonomichnoyi polityky derzhavy: hlobal'nyy vymir [Food security in the system of priorities of economic policy of the state: the global dimension]. Rehional'na ekonomika - Regional Economy, 78(4). [in Ukrainian].
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Authors

Resume

The article deals with criterias of food security. Comparative dynamics of the number of people in terms of food supply by the versions of the Gallup Institute and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It is proved that food security indicators that are drawn from the self-estimations of residents of different countries cannot be considered to be objective since they depend on people’s living standards. Categories of problems of the population food supply in the State are classified: natural and political. It is shown how these problems transform one into another and shift from the level of a state to the global level due to emerging/deepening of the internal conflict and increase in the number of refugees who are bringing destructive elements in the social structure of other states (the threat of terrorist attacks, riots, etc.). For the State in which the problem originates, this situation means the decline in the rural areas development and agricultural production (several years needed to restore the losses). While in the conditions of hot climates, even relatively short time termination in the processing of irrigated lands, leads to their rapid degradation and reduction of agricultural lands, and the recovery of these lands would be impossible without assistance. Based on the comparison of Japan and Cameroon – the two states with different amounts of natural resources, – it is proved that food security strongly depends on government policy in this area and is bound up with rural development policy. It is shown that Cameroon, having the conditions for complete food self-sufficiency, spends on food imports a fifth part of the entire expenditures on commodity imports. The article studies the ways to address the problem of food security in Japan, the main of which are the intensification of agricultural production, creation of favorable living conditions in the rural areas, active implementation of science and technology, widespread use of innovations. Methods and tools of rural development used in Japan are identified: attracting young people to live and work in rural areas and diversification of economic activities, promotion of new concepts of life, including combining farming with other activities. Based on comparison of the state policy of food security in Cameroon and Japan, the paper shows that funding of agriculture by national governments and international organizations without the development and implementation of real long-term plans makes all efforts ineffective. It is shown that adopted by the world and international organizations and programs documents indicate that food security is often seen solely in terms of promoting agricultural development, and the importance of rural development is generally ignored.

Keywords:

food security, globalization, rural areas, agriculture