Localization and concentration of grain production in border regions: spatial analysis of food sustainability

Issue № 8, 2026, article № 14, pages 126-138

Section: ABROAD

Language: Russian

Original language title: ЛОКАЛИЗАЦИЯ И КОНЦЕНТРАЦИЯ ЗЕРНОВОГО ПРОИЗВОДСТВА В ПРИГРАНИЧНЫХ РЕГИОНАХ: ПРОСТРАНСТВЕННЫЙ АНАЛИЗ ПРОДОВОЛЬСТВЕННОЙ УСТОЙЧИВОСТИ

Keywords: FOOD SECURITY, GRAIN PRODUCTION, GRAIN AND LEGUMINOUS CROPS, SPATIAL LOCALIZATION, CONCENTRATION OF PRODUCTION, LOCALIZATION COEFFICIENT, HERFINDAHL-HIRSCHMAN INDEX, BORDER REGIONS, UNION STATE, AGRARIAN SPECIALIZATION, STRUCTURAL SHIFTS, THE RUSSIAN-BELARUSIAN BORDER AREA

Abstract: The article examines the spatial features of localization and concentration of grain production in the border regions of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus in the context of ensuring food security and sustainability of the integration space of the Union State. The relevance of the study is due to the increasing role of internal sources of development, the transformation of logistics chains and the increasing importance of food security as one of the key elements of the economic security of the state. The purpose of the study is to assess the degree of localization and concentration of grain production in the border regions of Russia and Belarus, as well as to determine their role in ensuring food security. The methodological basis of the work is based on the approaches of spatial economics, new economic geography and regional analysis. The localization coefficient (LQ) and the Herfindahl–Hirschman index (HHI) was used as tools. The analysis covers the dynamics of acreage, gross harvest of grain and leguminous crops, yields, as well as structural shifts in the agricultural sector. It is concluded that the "grain belt" of the Union State is formed not as a continuous space, but as a system of individual specialization nodes with varying degrees of involvement in the grain sector. The link between the localization of agricultural production and food security is manifested in the formation of support areas of production and the simultaneous reduction of risks due to moderate concentration. The results obtained confirm that the development of grain specialization in the border regions is determined by a combination of climatic, structural, logistical and cooperative factors and should be taken into account in the formation of agricultural and integration policies.

Authors: Kirillova Elena Aleksandrovna, Kuzavko Anton Sergeevich