Strengthening the role of local agri-food systems in overcoming the consequences of using food as a weapon in Ukraine

One of the vulnerabilities of Ukraine, which was highlighted by the use of food as a weapon in the Russian war against it, was its excessive raw material export orientation and weak internal rooting of the agri-food system, as well as the insufficient resilience of its local links. The purpose of this study was to substantiate the potential for strengthening local agri-food systems through the fuller involvement of small-scale agricultural producers with a focus on meeting the food needs of all segments of the population. The study employed the following methods: system analysis, grouping and classification, statistical analysis, formalisation, abstract and logical. The study covered the manifestations of Russia’s use of food to achieve political and military goals in Ukraine, as well as the role of small agricultural producers in mitigating their adverse consequences. It was found that the key to strengthening the sustainability of the agri-food system at both the local and national levels is to provide farm enterprises and household farms with diversified access to domestic markets by stimulating demand for their agricultural products. The study substantiated the forms of implementation of this task through the introduction of programmes of linked food subsidies for vulnerable groups of the population, public procurement from small producers for school meals, and promotion of solidarity food security at the community level. The study assessed the need for resources for these programmes and the potential of small farms to produce the necessary products, showing that the introduction of these programmes will facilitate the transition of agriculture to agroecology. The study also covered the possibility of financing measures to overcome the consequences of the use of food as a weapon while supporting small producers through the use of the National Bank’s targeted issue with partial involvement of budgetary funds within the framework of strengthening the national rootedness of the agri-food system, as well as donor support. The practical significance of the findings of this study lies in the possibility of their use in the implementation of food support measures for vulnerable groups and the preparation of a lawsuit to the International Criminal Court regarding the weaponisation of food by the Russian Federation in the war against Ukraine