Land legal regulation and food security: problems of legal turnover of agricultural land

In the context of growing global challenges related to climate change, geopolitical instability and population growth, changing patterns of redistribution of food products, and the sanctioned food policy of unfriendly States, food security issues are becoming particularly important. One of the key factors influencing the level and sustainability of the state’s food sovereignty is the legal mechanisms for regulating the turnover of agricultural land. Agricultural land is a limited and irreplaceable resource, on the effective and rational use of which the country’s level of self-sufficiency in food largely depends. In this regard, the question arises as to how well the current land legislation copes with the issues of ensuring food security in the Russian Federation. The present study is aimed at analyzing the legal problems related to the turnover of agricultural land, identifying gaps and conflicts in legislation, as well as formulating proposals for its improvement, taking into account the goals of the national food policy. In the course of summarizing the results of the study of legal problems of legislative provision of food security in land relations, the author suggests measures of legal modernization: revision of procedures for the seizure of unused land with simplification of the judicial and administrative response mechanism; establishment of restrictions on the participation of foreign persons and offshore structures in the turnover of such lands in order to ensure food security; the introduction of modern state control technologies such as satellite monitoring and data analysis using artificial intelligence; the expansion of the system of tax and financial incentives for bona fide users who involve abandoned land in circulation; as well as the development of agricultural cooperatives, giving them priority in the allocation of unclaimed land and access to government support measures.