Legal support for food security in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation

The subject of this study is the social relations in the sphere of legal support for food security in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, as well as the mechanism of their normative and legal regulation. Within the subject, the legal foundations for the functioning of the northern supply system, state regulation of the agribusiness complex in Arctic conditions, features of price formation and the contracting system, as well as legal instruments for supporting local agricultural production are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the specifics of legal regulation in conditions of extreme natural and climatic factors, infrastructure isolation, and high energy intensity of production. The research subject also includes issues of the relationship between federal and regional regulation, institutional gaps in law and their impact on the sustainability of food systems in the Arctic, as well as legal aspects of ensuring a balance between economic development and ecological sustainability of northern territories. The methodological basis consists of general scientific and special legal methods. The formal-legal method is applied in the analysis of regulatory acts on northern supply, trade regulation, and the development of the agribusiness complex in the Arctic. The systematic method identified the interconnections of elements in the legal mechanism of food security. The comparative-legal method allowed for consideration of international experience. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the comprehensive legal analysis of food security in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation as an intersectoral institution, integrating elements of agrarian, environmental, energy, and administrative law. For the first time, the necessity of institutional delineation of the needs of the agribusiness complex in the northern supply system as an independent priority of state planning has been substantiated. The key role of the energy factor as the fundamental element of food security in the Arctic has been identified, and a concept for transitioning to hybrid models of energy supply using renewable energy sources has been proposed. The necessity of adapting the contracting system and state pricing mechanisms to the seasonal and territorial specifics of Arctic supplies has been justified. The conclusions emphasize that the current model of legal regulation is fragmented and does not ensure the necessary sustainability of food systems. A transition to a comprehensive legal mechanism is proposed, which includes improving the regulation of northern supplies, developing digital monitoring of deliveries, stimulating local production, and forming a coherent regulatory framework to support the agribusiness complex in the Arctic.