THE PROBLEM OF PROVIDING FOOD RESOURCES IN URBAN AGGLOMERATIONS (THE CASE STUDY OF THE KUZBASS AGGLOMERATION)

Urban agglomerations are the result of a process of spatial competition for resources. To analyze the functioning of specific urban centers, it is necessary to make a distinction between the process of agglomeration and the state of agglomeration in the spatial structure. This paper shows the interrelation of the process of urban agglomeration and the agglomeration of the production activity as its economic foundation. The study reveals the connection between the urban agglomeration process and the agglomeration of the production activity with the purpose to ensure food supplies. The authors analyze the background, causes, opportunities, goals and challenges of the Kuzbass urban agglomeration. The specifics of the Kuzbass agglomeration lie in a significant level of urbanization and in having two core cities in the region. This gives grounds to describe the Kuzbass agglomeration as a conurbation. The relationship between the two centers within the conurbation is an under-researched problem. The specifics of the Kuzbass agglomeration (conurbation) also lie in its in-between location and close proximity to the neighboring agglomerations. On one hand, its location exacerbates a competition for resources, but on the other hand, it is the basis for the solution of certain internal problems, such as food supply security. Usually, an urban agglomeration is accompanied by a reduction of the rural population, and thus, by a decrease of the opportunities for agriculture. The Kuzbass agglomeration's location allows for a solution to the problem of food security not only due to the development of its own agricultural sector, but also due to the agrarian sector in the neighboring agglomerations.