A METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF FOOD SECURITY

Abstract

The objective of present work is to substantiate the use of tools for strategic analysis in order to develop a strategy for the country’s food security under current conditions and to devise the author’s original technique to perform strategic analysis of food security using a SWOT-analysis. The methodology of the study. The article substantiates the need for strategic planning of food security. The author considers stages in strategic planning and explains the importance of the stage of strategic analysis of the country’s food security. It is proposed to apply a SWOT-analysis when running a strategic analysis of food security. The study is based on the system of indicators and characteristics of the country’s economy, agricultural sector, market trends, material-technical, financial, human resources, which are essential to obtain an objective assessment of the impact of trends and factors on food security, and in order to further develop the procedure for conducting a strategic analysis of the country’s food security. Results of the study. The procedure for strategic analysis of food security is developed based on the tool of a SWOT-analysis, which implies three stages: a strategic analysis of weaknesses and strengths, opportunities and threats; construction of the matrix of weaknesses and strengths, opportunities, and threats (SWOT-analysis matrix); formation of the food security strategy based on the SWOT-analysis matrix. A list of characteristics was compiled in order to conduct a strategic analysis of food security and to categorize them as strengths or weaknesses, threats, and opportunities. The characteristics are systemized into strategic groups: production, market; resources; consumption: this is necessary for the objective establishing of strategic directions, responsible performers, allocation of resources, and effective control, for the purpose of further development and implementation of the strategy. A strategic analysis of food security consists of two blocks: the analyses of the external and internal environment. It is proposed, in order to improve the validity of the strategic analysis, to evaluate strengths and weaknesses, threats, and opportunities at the time of analysis, as well as to explore the trends of their change in dynamics. For this purpose, the author proposed establishing the persistence of the identified strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities. To accomplish it, the persistent strengths of possibilities include, in the author’s opinion, characteristics with a positive dynamic over the examined period while the persistent weaknesses and threats include, accordingly, those with a negative dynamic. Practical implications. Result of the present research is the advanced matrix of a SWOT-analysis of food security, which complements traditional method with the grouping according to the basic strategic groups of food security (production, market, resources, consumption), as well as the level of persistence of strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities, depending on the dynamics of the proposed characteristics. The main practical outcome of the developed procedure is the list of strategic recommendations based on the identified strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities of food security, depending on the level of their persistence. The value and originality of the scientific results are in that as a result of the proposed procedure, there will be built an effective instrument for carrying out a strategic analysis of the country’s food security. Based on the strategic analysis of the persistent strengths, the author identified the main com-petitive advantages of the country’s food security, which are to be strengthened, while implementing supporting strategic measures and control. It is established that the non-persistent strengths of food security of Ukraine would require a more effective management in comparison with those persistent, as well as development of an efficient mechanism of government support and regulation. Minimization of the impact of persistent weaknesses on the level of food security and their transformation into strengths should be carried out under the condition of reforming the social policy of the state and creating a system of the state support for the agricultural sector. The task on resolving the problems associated with the impact of threats in accordance with the level of their persistence has to be dealt with gradually, with the further development of strategic measures to neutralize and protect food security and the factors that affect it, in particular, to utilize the potential of external opportunities.