Crop farming digitalization: an illusion of progress or real transformation?

Issue № 2, 2025, article № 13, pages 116-132

Section: Competition of young authors

Language: Russian

Original language title: ЦИФРОВИЗАЦИЯ В РАСТЕНИЕВОДСТВЕ: ИЛЛЮЗИЯ ПРОГРЕССА ИЛИ РЕАЛЬНАЯ ТРАНСФОРМАЦИЯ?

Keywords: AGRICULTURE, CROP FARMING, DIGITALIZATION, DIGITAL ECONOMY, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INFORMATION SYSTEMS, SOFTWARE TOOLS, ICT COSTS, BUSINESS PROCESSES

Abstract: The paper examines the digital economy penetration degree into the sector of crop farming and support agriculture activities in the period 2019 to 2023, searches the reasons for the discovered feature: a 70% boost of software tools used by crop farming organizations in 2023, compared to 2019, against the backdrop of a decline in ICT costs. A dataset from the tables of the federal statistical observation made by Rosstat in the form 3-inform was used. To assess the cost of software tools a regression analysis with machine learning methodology was applied; to calculate other measurements a standard set of statistical analysis tools was used. The article provides estimates of dependence on foreign-origin information systems, calculates the digital product market capacity together with fulfilled potential of digital economy in the crop farming sector over last years, calculates the maintaining information systems cost for key business processes: management, production, finance and accounting, marketing and human resources. The study reveals that software cost is not the main constraint to digital transformation in the field: we found no boost in the number of companies using software since 2019, and the number of software tools in crop farming in recent 2022 and 2023 was driven by companies that launched digital transformation in previous years, and mainly using low-cost general-purpose information systems that did not have a highly specialized industry application, therefore, there was no value increase of the digital economy in crop farming.

Authors: Inozemtseva Elena IUrevna