ECONOMIC RESOLUTION OF SOCIAL SECURITY PROBLEMS THROUGH A DUAL-PURPOSE LOCAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION PROGRAM: PORTUGAL’S EXPERIENCE AND RELEVANCE FOR UKRAINE

Abstract

The article explores the possibility of addressing certain social security problems through a dual-purpose program of local agricultural production, based on an analysis of Portugal’s experience and an assessment of its relevance for Ukraine. It is argued that, in contemporary conditions, social security cannot be reduced solely to cash transfers, since effective social policy should also include instruments capable of reducing social risk before it fully materialises, lowering household expenditures, and strengthening household economic capacity. In this context, programs providing small land plots, start-up resources, educational support, and advisory assistance are considered not only as elements of agricultural or environmental policy but also as indirect mechanisms of social security. The study shows that the Portuguese practice of supporting urban and peri-urban gardens has a clearly dual-purpose character. On the one hand, it helps reduce food vulnerability, weakens the impact of inflation on the consumer basket, maintains access to quality food, and mitigates the risks of poverty. On the other hand, such a model creates economic preconditions for self-employment, additional income generation, the development of local microeconomic activity, and a reduction in the burden on the transfer-based support system. It has been established that the social relevance of Portuguese programs is reflected in their access rules, targeting mechanisms, focus on vulnerable groups, and combination of resource assistance with the development of practical capabilities. The study demonstrates that this approach is particularly relevant for Ukraine amid growing poverty, war-related risks, food insecurity among certain population groups, and the significant fiscal burden on the social protection system. It is substantiated that, for Ukrainian communities, such a program can be institutionalised as a component of local social policy within a program-based approach. Low-income families, internally displaced persons, older people, large families, veterans’ families, and households in vulnerable rural and frontline areas have been identified as promising target groups. It is concluded that local agricultural production should be viewed as an instrument of preventive, rather than solely compensatory, social policy, combining social impact with economic outcomes and offering potential for use within the educational and scientific framework.