The article examines the issue of the primacy of the technical or economic aspects of agricultural technology during its adoption. The analysis also involves the social and environmental aspects. The starting point and motivation for the study was the popular opinion that for the adoption and dissemination of innovations, “economics decides everything.” The dialectical approach “thesis – antithesis – synthesis” is the main research method. Historical data are also used to support the arguments with facts. Based on the results of the analysis, the following conclusions have been made: 1) at this stage of technical progress, both the technical and economic aspects do not have primacy in the adoption of new technologies in agriculture; 2) due to systemic shortcomings of agricultural technologies, the economic aspect – economic efficiency – remains the main criterion for assessing the success of agricultural innovations. Also, in the course of studying the relationship between the technical and economic aspects, an additional proposal was put forward regarding the environmental aspect: it is proposed to use economic measures to neutralize the negative impact of agriculture on the environment. This involves collecting monetary compensation for the damage caused to nature, restoring the ecological balance and developing sustainable agriculture with the funds collected.
The article proposes and empirically tests a modified composite ESUP model – a coherent system of four equal-status pillars (environmental, social, managerial and economic) – which, within a single methodological framework, enables measurement and clustering of agricultural organisations by an integral indicator of efficiency in the use of resource potential at the regional level. The empirical base comprises 647 agricultural organisations in Krasnodar krai; computations draw on sectoral reporting forms for 2023. For each organisation, four sub-indices and several variants of the composite index (arithmetic-weighted, geometric, harmonic and penalty-based) are constructed, allowing a simultaneous assessment of both the level of efficiency in the use of resource potential and its internal balance across pillars. Two clustering scales are employed – equal-interval and Sturges-rule – together with correlation and profile analyses of sub-indices across the region’s natural-economic zones. For the full sample, the mean composite score is 0,479 (minimum 0,168; maximum 0,710; standard deviation 0,056). The pillar profile is uneven: the economic and managerial pillars are higher on average (0,520 and 0,493), the environmental pillar remains comparable to the mean (0,484), whereas the social pillar is the lowest (0,418), indicating the need for priority measures in this domain. Under the aggregation scheme that penalises pronounced imbalances between pillars, 67 % of organisations fall within the 0,4–0,6 interval; the upper classes are virtually unpopulated, pointing to systemic imbalances and the need for coordinated improvements across all components of potential. Marked spatial differences are observed: the mean composite level in the Foothill zone is 0,517, which is 0,118 points higher than in the Black Sea zone (0,399). The findings support a recommendation for targeted regional policy aimed at levelling profile-specific deficits and raising efficiency in the use of resource potential within a sustainable-development framework.
The article examines the main trends in the development of multi-structure agriculture with the study of factors and threats to the effective functioning of various structures of agricultural production. It is proved that the modern Russian agro-industrial complex is represented by a combination of various structures of agricultural production with its own specifics and role in the agricultural sector of Russia. At the same time, in the regional context, there is a differentiation of subjects according to the structure of forms of agricultural management, which determines, among other things, the commodity specialization of territories. The results of the industry's work in recent years indicate trends in strengthening the position of large agribusiness. In the sectoral context, the agrarian structures of agriculture show different results of work, have multidirectional trends and an unstable nature of development. This situation is largely explained by a complex of negative trends and factors related to external trade and economic conditions, sanctions pressure, political instability, etc., as well as intra-industry problems of the functioning of the agricultural sector of the economy and agricultural producers in particular. The article presents a system of factors and threats to the development of agribusiness, highlighting global factors, factors of the current environment for the development of the agricultural sector and intra-industry challenges and threats. Research shows that dealing with negative factors and finding solutions to the problems of developing the agricultural sector can activate potential growth points in the industry. The article presents the factors of the external and internal environment of the emergence, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of the potential development of the agrarian structure. It is concluded that the study of existing factors and threats to the development of the agricultural sector will contribute to the search for the most effective mechanism for minimizing the negative consequences of their influence, and the formation of an effective state agrarian policy, taking into account the complex agrarian structure inherent in the Russian agro-industrial complex.
The article examines the key aspects of managing entrepreneurial risks in agribusiness through the lens of improving financial literacy and ensuring financial accessibility. It analyzes the main types of risks in agriculture, their impact on the sustainability of agricultural enterprises, and the role of financial education and the availability of financial instruments in minimizing these risks. The article provides practical recommendations for implementing financial education programs and developing financial services infrastructure for agricultural producers.
The purpose of the study was to analyze the dynamics of changes in the profitability of agricultural production in the North-West regions in modern economic conditions. The financial results of organizations operating in crop production and animal husbandry in the whole country are considered. The dynamics of a decrease in the share of unprofitable organizations and an increase in the amount of profit per 1 organization, a higher level of profitability of crop production and the degree of its variation over the years than in animal husbandry are shown. By grouping the subjects of the Russian Federation according to the level of profitability (loss-making) of all agricultural organizations, significant positive spatial changes in the average Russian level of profitability of products and in the regions of the Northwest have been identified. This is the result of years of subsidizing industries during the implementation of government Programs. Based on a comparative assessment of the trends in profitability of production in the context of the Northwestern Federal District regions in recent years, their lag in the level of profitability of products sold from the indicator in the whole country, as well as the processes of sharp territorial differentiation in restoring the profitability of the industry to date, have been noted. Therefore, it is necessary to pay special attention to territorial imbalances in the profitability of products in territories with less favorable conditions for agribusiness, which will allow timely influence on the economic situation in the industry.
It is shown that currently there is no single system of indicators for assessing the effectiveness of agricultural land, the indicators are scattered and do not fully reflect the effectiveness of the use of agricultural land as a whole. The authors proposed to analyze the existing indicators of the efficiency of agricultural land use, classify them, and calculate the efficiency of agricultural land use in the Russian Federation. It is noted that various indicators of the efficiency of agricultural land use are interrelated and reflect the overall dynamics of land use.
In recent years, as a result of the implementation of the state program for the development of the agro-industrial complex, there has been a significant stimulation of the development of the industry, characterized by a steady increase in the production of food products of animal origin and the substitution of goods of foreign origin. According to Rosstat, for 2013-2023, the total volume of livestock and poultry production in slaughter weight in agricultural organizations increased by 66.7% to 10.0 million tons, incl. pork by 2.3 times to 4.4 million tons, cattle meat by 25.6% to 0.7 million tons and poultry by 43.2% to 5.0 million tons, respectively. The results obtained were achieved mainly through the use of foreign technologies and equipment, which formed high technological import dependence, which, along with other negative macroeconomic factors identified in the course of the work, are threats to ensuring the sustainable development of animal husbandry. In the current conditions of uncertainty in the external environment and the provision of various kinds of difficult-to-predict impacts on the industry, the priority task is the use of modern methodological approaches and techniques to improve the adaptability, efficiency and quality of management decisions. One of such approaches is the introduction of cognitive models and the construction of graphic visualization maps on their basis as part of the justification of strategic directions for the industry development of animal husbandry.
The article proposes a concept for changing existing approaches in the state policy for the development of agricultural consumer cooperation. Based on the analysis of domestic and foreign scientific papers, the factors constraining the development of cooperation are considered and systematized. It has been revealed that measures to support cooperatives in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation do not solve the problems of overcoming the relevant barriers; they are based primarily on targeted subsidization of the costs of individual cooperatives, which, as the experience of other states shows, is not an effective tool. Examples of the functioning of foreign digital platforms that unite small agricultural producers, whose activities correspond to the functions of consumer cooperation, are considered. The conclusion is made about the expediency of using the capabilities of the platform economy for the development of agricultural consumer cooperation. The key stages of the regional cooperative development program are proposed, suggesting different levels of digital transformation of cooperative processes.
For some time, the functioning of agriculture has been characterized by contradictions both within itself and in its relationship with the environment, soils, social development (its individual parameters and institutions), technology, labor, demographics, and so on. This contradictory nature of agriculture's existence has taken the form of problems, creating challenges that require resolution through various technical, technological, organizational, and institutional tools, while also expanding the realm of ignorance that necessitates the development of new theoretical, methodological, and practical approaches. Explaining this state of agricultural development requires identifying, systematizing, analyzing, and verifying problems, determining the trajectory of the development of specific problems and their clusters, and finding mechanisms and methods for identifying, calibrating, and eliminating problems, leading to the development of theory, methodology, and practice for solving problems. Based on the generalization of the research results of foreign and domestic authors and the author's own observations, the article attempts to systematize the main problems of modern Russian agriculture. The fundamental and urgent nature of these problems is demonstrated. It is established that many of the so-called problems in agriculture are not actually problems. The results of this research can be useful for anyone studying the theoretical and practical aspects of Russian agriculture.
The purpose of the study is to identify the main trends in changes in the gross grain harvest, and to assess the economic efficiency of grain production in agricultural organizations of the Altai Territory that are part of agricultural holdings. The article identifies the dynamics of the overall increase in the gross grain harvest in the region as a result of increased yields of grain and leguminous crops, and changes in the structure of the gross harvest by type of grain. The price situation on the market did not affect the change in the share of wheat in the total grain harvest, but it led to a decrease in the share of oats and barley, and an increase in the share of buckwheat and legumes. The authors identified factors that affect the volatility of grain prices, including global market prices, the exchange rate, the monopoly of processing organizations and trading companies, consumer expectations and preferences, and government regulations on grain exports and processing products. The structure of producers is dominated by small agricultural organizations and peasant (farm) enterprises, and among agricultural organizations, those that do not function as part of holding formations. The yield of grain and leguminous crops, the selling prices and profitability of grain production are higher, and the labor intensity of grain production is lower in organizations under the management of holding formations. The main factors of higher profitability were quantitative factors (price, specific cost), and the structural factor was characterized by a minor negative impact, i.e., the share of more profitable buckwheat and legumes in the grain sales structure of autonomous organizations was higher. The analysis of enterprises within holding companies by type of integration (vertical, horizontal, and unrelated) did not reveal any advantages of any type of integration in the Altai Territory, taking into account the trends observed in the grain market. The efficiency of grain production was higher in vertically integrated organizations, while the profitability of production was higher in horizontally integrated organizations. However, the advantage in profitability was determined by higher prices.