La geopolitica russa del cibo, limiti e prospettive. La produzione alimentare russa nel passaggio dall’economia pianificata a quella di mercato

Abstract

The article investigates the development of food production in the Russian Federation, mainly considering the transition from a planned to a market economy. The period investigated is from the late 1980s to the present day. The scope of the inquiry is to assess the reasons for the food production crisis of the nineties and the subsequent recovery of the national food industry, which improved when Putin came to power. The research proceeds by examining the different approaches to food production adopted by the administrations of Gorbachev and Eltsin and, more recently, by Putin. It discusses, indeed, how the support provided by the State to the agro-food sector has evolved consistent with both national interests and geopolitical needs. In conclusion, the authors assess that the concept of self-sufficiency, also in terms of food production, has turned into a strategy for Russian Federation to preserve national security.