Based on statistical data, the article reveals the impact of agriculture on the economic potential and living standards of the population of the country's agrarian centers. Agriculture developed at a rate slightly higher than the overall economic dynamics in the country in 2010 - 2019. The study also found that the high degree of dependence of the regional economy on the development of agriculture in the period under review did not contribute to an increase in the standard of living of the population of this territory, which is associated with the traditionally low level of wages of workers in this industry. The calculation of deviations from the recommended consumption standards for basic food products in agricultural centers and their comparison with the average values in the country showed that the higher physical availability of food characteristic of agricultural regions does not have a significant effect on the improvement of the diet structure. The low level of wages in agriculture can be regarded as a risk factor for the sustainable development of the Territory. To solve this problem, it is proposed to intensify the work on the popularization of a healthy lifestyle and introduce measures of economic incentives to stop excessive consumption of food.
Agriculture is the most important sector of our country's economy. Its essential role is determined both by natural conditions and the presence of vast land areas, as well as by national traditions and other factors. The development of the agricultural sector is a fundamental factor in ensuring the stability of the Russian economy and an object of state policy at the national and regional levels. The article discusses the features of employment in agriculture, characterized by the influence of various factors. For this, indicators were selected that characterize the employment of the population in agriculture, the main reasons for the declines in employment were identified, and ways of solving these problems were proposed. Thus, the implementation of measures of state support for the agrarian sector, having a positive impact on the overall economic performance of agricultural production, does not lead to a natural increase in the standard of living of the rural population. The problem of employment in agriculture does not lose its relevance, since the level of wages in agriculture is significantly lower than in the economy as a whole. The grouping of Russian regions by the level of employment in agriculture showed that only 5 regions in 2020 entered the group with a high level of employment.
The article assesses the reproduction processes of the machine and tractor fleet of domestic agricultural producers; it is revealed that the rate of retirement (the assessment was carried out for tractors and combine harvesters) outstrips the rate of renewal of agricultural machinery, which leads to an annual and stable reduction in the number of the park. There is observed not only a reduction in the number of the park in absolute terms, but also in terms of its energy capacity. Modern reproduction can be characterized as narrowed, which accordingly hinders the increase in production in agriculture, does not contribute to a massive transition to digital and resource-saving technologies. In this regard, it becomes necessary to search for effective tools aimed at accelerating the reproduction processes in relation to the machine and tractor fleet, as one of the most significant and capital-intensive types of resources. We considered leasing as one of the most effective tools for 2020-2021, determined the role and importance of Rosagroleasing JSC in solving the accelerated reproduction of the machine and tractor fleet, identified possible directions for further renewal of the equipment fleet for all categories of agricultural producers.
In the context of a difficult economic and epidemiological situation, which causes a drop in household income and a decrease in the growth rate of demand for agricultural products in the Russian Federation, it is important to conduct a strategic competitive analysis that allows us to identify the dominant groups of players in the market and assess their level of differentiation of companies in this market. This article summarizes the analysis of the industry "Crop and livestock, hunting and the provision of related services in these areas" based on the official reporting indicators for 2020 in the context of 64 sub-sectors, 36 of which revealed the possible presence of dominant groups of companies. As the main tool, the SV (strength/variety) Matrix was used to assess the level of dominance in the industry based on the concentration index, Lind Index, and the modified Hall-Tideman Index. The conclusions obtained from a detailed analysis of the SV matrix showed that the agricultural industry is quite diverse in terms of the level of differentiation of the dominant groups of players in the market, which suggests that it is necessary to carefully approach the choice of strategic decisions in each described quadrant and to take into account the recommendations proposed by the authors of the SV matrix regarding the behaviour in these markets. The authors also give recommendations on changing the rules for collecting statistical reporting in Russia, so that it is more applicable for use in modern analytical tools.
Oilseeds are of strategic importance for the country's food and national security standards. Oilseeds are raw materials for the production of vegetable oils, and the extraction cake of these crops is an important component of protein in the diet of feeding animals. The purpose of the study is to analyze the organizations of activity 01.11.3 "Growing oilseeds" in accordance with the OKVED in order to assess the possibilities for their further development. Organizations were divided according to the organizational and legal forms, the scale of activity, and the efficiency of production. The study was carried out on the basis of the accounting data of organizations submitted to Rosstat and the Federal Tax Service. The leader of the rating of organizations by activity 01.11.3 "Growing oilseeds" is Amuragrocomplex LLC, its specialization is the cultivation of soybean seeds. The study revealed predominance among organizations of joint-stock companies - 85.05%, micro-organizations with revenue of up to 120 million roubles. - 80.37%, higher efficiency of state unitary enterprises - 95 kopecks per 1 rouble assets; deterioration of efficiency indicators for all organizations except peasant farms; higher opportunities for innovation in joint-stock companies. The risks of losses caused by competition with foreign seed supplies, the level of domestic demand, counterfeit seed supplies are restraining factors in the production of seeds of Russian breeding.
The article considers the prospects and factors of family farms development in the current institutional conditions and macroeconomic environment. The thesis that family farms using the most advanced technologies of the Industry 4.0 can successfully compete with large agro-companies is substantiated. Digital technology, automation and robotization allow the realization of economies of scale at a smaller production size than in the industrial, conveyor method of labour organization, to increase production and sales to effective volumes without a significant increase in the number of employees and complicating the management structure, receiving simultaneously the effect of entrepreneurship (innovative rent) and the scale of production (reducing the share of fixed costs). The use of digital technology, in the absence of problems with asymmetry of information and on-farm opportunistic behaviour, allows family farms to increase the scale of production, minimizing the cost of control and management. Family farms are the most important factor in the preservation of rural (peasant) society, give sustainability to the development of rural areas, because the owners - the family does not consider the farm only as a property complex, which can be sold, focusing on the stock market conditions. Family farms are characterized by their stability under conditions of economic uncertainty, a high degree of responsiveness to changing economic conditions and the adjustment of their own production plans. To research the system of indicators that characterize the ability of family farms to maintain sustainable development in an increasingly competitive environment and the transition of the agricultural sector to "Industry 4.0", the method of analysis of paired categories is proposed. The experience and mechanisms of integration and development of US farms into the system of agribusiness with preservation of the family way of life, which can be considered positive and suitable after adaptation to the conditions of the Russian Federation, are summarized. Proposals for improving the sustainable innovation and investment development of family farms are proposed.
The article describes the author's approach to solving optimization problems in agricultural production. Within the framework of the analytical studies and the results obtained, optimization models for the production of differentiated crop production and the distribution of products have been developed. The purpose of the study is to assess and methodological substantiation of the main factors contributing to the improvement of economic and financial results of agricultural production activities due to the optimal structure of crop production. As the basic provisions of the working hypothesis of the study, the objective conditions were used: that agricultural land is not only a means of production but also an object of labour that brings income. These circumstances imply the objective expediency of changes in the organization of management of the structure of production in agriculture based on optimization techniques that influence the adoption of local and strategic decisions related to increasing economic efficiency in order to sustainably develop agricultural production in the Astrakhan region. In the course of testing the hypothesis, a conceptual model for the production of differentiated agricultural products by economic entities of agricultural production, including small farms and their complexes in a competitive, weakly institutionalized market environment, was proposed.
Sustainability of rural development is a priority of economic policy for many countries of the world, but it is not always achieved. One of the reasons is the imperfection of the theoretical understanding of the sustainable development of rural areas, which is reflected in the concepts related to this area of economic policy of the state. The analysis of various definitions of rural territories is carried out; it is shown that it would be most reasonable to understand them as "open" systems, the development of which is influenced by many factors, including external ones. Rural territories are included in the economy of the region, which affects the sustainability of their development, including the outflow of rural population to cities, slowing down the development of the rural economy. A feature of rural areas is also the diversity of their economy, depending on natural conditions and other factors. Taking into account the analysis of various approaches to determining the sustainability of rural development, the conclusion is made about the most reasonable understanding of it in relation to the ability to achieve long-term targets of socio-economic and environmental development, taking into account external conditions. This can be achieved only through transformations taking into account external conditions that ensure the achievement of a significant result for local communities. Since sustainability in rural development is achieved, among other things, by regional support, the properties of openness, exposure to external factors, economic diversification, as well as the proposed understanding of sustainability should be taken into account when developing long-term rural development programs.
The article proposes an author's methodology for assessing the effectiveness of investments in human capital in agricultural production. The calculation of this indicator is necessary to determine the type of reproduction of human capital: simple, narrowed and expanded. In modern economic conditions, efficient agricultural production is possible only with an expanded type of reproduction of human capital, when it is constantly improved and new properties are acquired. This raises the problem of quantifying the type of reproduction of human capital that is, assessing the effectiveness of investments in human capital. If investments exceed the return on human capital, then the narrowed reproduction, if they correspond, is then simple, and if less, then expanded. The article proposes to use the method of investment analysis as a methodological basis for such an assessment, since the process of reproduction of human capital is an investment activity that represents the process of investing funds (public and private) in a person (future employee of the industry) in order to obtain a further return on it in the form of profit, tax revenues, etc.
The article discusses approaches for forecasting of food consumption in general as well as in the context of decile groups of the population, developed by various scientific schools. The regression equations on the dependence of the Russian population food product consumption expenditures on total expenditures, as well as for certain food products, have been constructed. The analysis of the coefficients of elasticity of the food demand in general and on certain types of products in Russia in the context of decile groups is carried out, a comparison is made with the estimates of other authors, and conclusions are drawn about the possibilities of their use for forecasting demand. On the basis of demand equations and the economic-mathematical model, the forecast of agricultural production volumes for 2030 was updated, taking into account consumption by all population groups at the level of rational norms. An assessment was made on the growth in gross agricultural output in the case of launching the state program "Food Certificate" for the first three decile groups of the population with the lowest incomes. The necessary income growth of the population in the context of decile groups in constant prices was calculated to ensure consumption at the level of rational norms. Conclusions are drawn about the possibilities of exporting agricultural products in 2030 in the context of growing domestic demand.