Beekeeping is a important industry for Russia, integrating agriculture, ecology, and biotechnology. Bees perform an irreplaceable ecosystem pollination function, but in recent years, there has been a steady decline in the number of bee colonies and a low technological level of the industry. The object of the research is the beekeeping industry of the Russian Federation. The study is based on a synthesis of quantitative data (dynamics of the number of bee colonies and honey production for 2019–2024) and qualitative descriptions (industry functions, applied technologies, breed composition). The main tool of strategic analysis was the SWOT method. It was found that the number of bee colonies decreased by 444 thousand in 2019–2024 and amounted to 2.538 million in 2024. Commercial honey production has stabilized at 64–67 thousand tons per year. More than 90% of bee colonies are kept in household farms, which determines the small-scale nature of production. Regional features and the main bee breeds (Central Russian, Carpathian, Caucasian) are identified. Technological drivers of transformation are identified: automation, biotechnology, robotics. Based on the SWOT analysis, four strategic directions (SO, ST, WO, WT) are developed. The key factor for the sustainable development of the industry is the formation of an effective organizational and economic mechanism that combines market instruments with state regulation. Technological modernization, state support, and the development of cooperation will allow Russian beekeeping to overcome current challenges and realize its significant potential.
The sustainable and effective development of the country's national economy is largely determined by the stability of individual economic sectors, including agriculture, which is strategically important. Priority is given to commercial crop production, particularly potato farming, as this sector, along with vegetable farming, ensures the country's food security. Between 2015 and 2024, the potato industry in the Sverdlovsk region underwent significant changes in a highly competitive environment, with an emphasis on intensive production methods. During the period under review, gross potato production decreased by 23.9%, due to a 42.9% reduction in harvested area to 4,202 hectares. The introduction of modern technological solutions in the industry has contributed to a reduction in labor intensity, increased yields, and contained unit costs. High competition in the industry and the influence of certain factors have led to instability in potato production. The worst results were achieved in 2022 and 2023, amid low marketability. Despite this, the situation improved significantly in 2024, with profits reaching 143.3 million rubles, with a production profitability of 14.6 percent. A significant increase in depreciation costs can be noted in the cost structure, which is due to the increased cost of machinery and equipment due to external economic restrictions. External economic restrictions impacted the industry, but were not the primary cause of the deterioration. In 2024, the region's potato industry demonstrated high market growth rates with an average sustainability success rate. Positive factors that contributed to the improvement in the industry included continued production intensification, agricultural producers' adaptation to market conditions, and a reduction in imported products.
The study is devoted to the consideration of changes in the dynamics of crop yields and indices of crop production in the Russian Federation for the period from 2020 to 2024. It highlights the elements of precision farming necessary for the future development of the industry, including differentiated application, parallel driving systems, yield monitoring, and remote sensing of the land. The countries that are leading in the use of modern technical devices in the field of crop production and agriculture in general (USA, China, Germany, Brazil, and Japan) have been identified. The domestic crop production industry has been identified as being focused on preserving the ecological potential of the soil through the use of technical devices equipped with a global positioning system that eliminates repeated movement across the field and prevents damage to plants caused by this movement. The amount of cost savings (15-20%) resulting from the rationalization of the use of necessary resources, the consumption rates of which are established according to the needs of the crops grown using intellectual technologies, has been specified. The factors that determine the prospects for the development of domestic precision farming have been identified: trends in the development of the industry market, the availability of government support, environmental conditions, and the introduction of technological innovations developed by Russian organizations. The use of a combination of precision farming elements will increase the efficiency of agricultural production and create conditions for sustainable growth in the digital economy.
The article provides an economic assessment of the implementation of cultural and technical measures to introduce agricultural land into circulation, depending on the length of time since its withdrawal. It defines the time frame for the degree of overgrowth of land that has been withdrawn from circulation by grass, shrub, and forest vegetation. Based on the long-term experience of the Kaluga Research Institute of Agriculture in monitoring land that has been withdrawn from circulation, an economically sound system of cultural and technical measures has been developed to introduce it into circulation. The article also provides a classification of overgrown land into five stages. Technological maps and costs of cultural and technical measures for five forestation classifications have been calculated. The payback periods for cultural and technical measures have been established, depending on the crop that is cultivated after the measures have been taken. Two organizations in the region have been analyzed in order to form a system of cultural and technical measures. The classification of lands according to their degree of overgrowth is determined in five variants (weak; medium – 70% shrubs and 30% trees; medium – 50% shrubs and 50% trees; medium – 30% shrubs and 70% trees; strong – trees). It has been revealed that the cost of 1 hectare of cultural and technical works depends on the degree of overgrowth: 37.4; 91.1; 99.2; 107.6; 114.9 thousand rubles (according to five land classification options). The payback period for cultural activities in the cultivation of winter rapeseed for oilseeds (excluding subsidies) is between 0.7 and 2.09 years, and with subsidies, it is between 0.4 and 1.14 years; the payback period for winter wheat (excluding subsidies) is between 1.5 and 4.7 years, and with subsidies, it is between 0.8 and 2.6 years.
The article examines the impact of integrated socio-ecological-economic sustainable development of rural areas on the agricultural performance of the North Caucasus economic region. The relevance of the study is due to the high importance of the agricultural sector in the economy of the macroregion, a significant share of the rural population and pronounced territorial heterogeneity of the socio-economic and environmental conditions of development. The objective of the study is to identify and quantify the dependence of agricultural performance on the level of sustainable development of rural areas based on correlation and regression analysis. The methodological tools include minimax normalization, the formation of integral indices, descriptive statistics methods, correlation and multiple regression analysis, and scenario forecasting. The volume of agricultural production, investments in fixed capital of agriculture and the financial result of crop and livestock organizations were used as performance indicators. Factor variables are grouped into social, economic and environmental blocks of sustainable development of rural areas. Based on the normalized data, integral indices of the performance of the agro-industrial complex and sustainable development of rural areas were formed. The study results revealed a strong positive correlation between the agro-industrial performance index and the economic index (r = 0.898), as well as the social index (r = 0.885), while the environmental index was negatively correlated with agricultural performance (r=–0.636). The constructed regression model has high explanatory power (R²=0.833; F= 9.969) and confirms that the economic component of sustainable development has the greatest impact on agricultural performance. Forecast calculations up to 2030 under the inertial and factor scenarios indicate continued positive dynamics in the agro-industrial complex's performance. The obtained results can be used in developing regional agricultural policy strategies and mechanisms for sustainable rural development.
Under the agglomeration of rural areas in Russia, addressing the issue of sustainable development of key rural infrastructure sectors has become the part of Russia's national development goals, making this research topic particularly relevant. The key development trends for rural social infrastructure sectors, based on rural agglomeration, are supported by state policy, as reflected in executive government documents. The role of state policy on rural agglomeration and support for rural social infrastructure, developed in executive government documents, was assessed. This policy enabled the completion of the organizational stage of rural agglomeration in 2024 with the formation of a list of core settlements and adjacent territories. Risks of a possible deceleration in rural agglomeration and sustainable development of rural social infrastructure at the regional level were identified due to the formal approach of rural municipalities to defining base settlements and adjacent territories, the insufficient experience of municipal executive officials in managing agglomeration development, and the lack of scientific support for the development of agglomerations and the sustainable development of rural social infrastructure. The need for developing programs for the sustainable development of rural social infrastructure in agglomerations is substantiated. The framework of regional programs for managing the sustainable development of rural social infrastructure, adapted to the actual existence of agglomeration relations in rural agglomerations, have been developed. These include clarifying the boundaries of rural agglomerations by measuring the actual influence of the supporting settlement on adjacent territories, the characteristics of healthcare, education, and cultural institutions operating in the base settlements, and identifying existing social infrastructure facilities in adjacent territories whose spatial demographic parameters allow one to be considered future centers of small agglomerations.
An analytical assessment of the state of the rural housing sector is presented from the point of view of housing policy, conducted recently, and taking into account the peculiarities inherent in the rural lifestyle, financial support for the development of this area within the framework of the State Program for Integrated Rural Development, with a period of implementation until 2030. The negative consequences of financial changes occurring in the structure of budget allocation in the housing block of the State Program for Integrated Rural Development, which led to a decrease in accessibility in improving the housing conditions of the rural population, which contributes to the compression of spatial expansion and economic development of rural areas, are disclosed. The analysis of the results of the Comprehensive monitoring of the living conditions of the population conducted by Rosstat. A number of contradictions emerged, consisting in the fact that despite the superiority of villagers over urban residents in terms of living space per person, a greater number of rural respondents than urban respondents indicated the tightness of living. Against the background of the revealed negative dynamics of the decline in the number of families who have received housing and improved housing conditions, proposals are presented to increase the effectiveness of state regulation of housing policy in rural areas by mobilizing existing resources and attracting new, potentially possible options in order to increase the modern high-quality housing stock in rural areas in order to preserve their occupancy.
The relevance of this article stems from the need for an in-depth study of cross-border food trade between the regions of Russia and Belarus in the context of the transformation of the geoeconomic space and the strengthening of integration processes within the Union State. The authors conducted a comprehensive analysis of trade in finished food products, paying particular attention to a comparative assessment of the production capacities of the food and processing industries of the participating regions, as well as an analysis of the presence of Belarusian and Russian goods in the trade infrastructure. The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) was used to measure market concentration, revealing structural imbalances in the markets under study. The results of the analysis reveal significant asymmetries in the market structure. In particular, in the Smolensk Region, Belarusian products dominate, as evidenced by an average share of 41.75% across all food categories and up to 60% in the meat category. However, goods from Smolensk are virtually absent from the Belarusian market, accounting for no more than 2.5%. Calculations of the HHI index revealed a high degree of market concentration in the Vitebsk and Mogilev regions, exceeding 6,300 units, indicating the presence of severe institutional barriers. The authors systematized the factors hindering trade development and identified promising areas for strengthening cooperation, particularly in the grocery sector of the Mogilev region, where Russian goods account for 40%. The recommendations developed are aimed at optimizing food industry development strategies, increasing food security in border regions, and strengthening interregional trade ties.
In the current conditions of increased turbulence and external challenges, the economic sustainability of regions is of key importance. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that even a high level of socio-economic development of a macro-region (using the North-West of Russia as an example) does not guarantee its complete sustainability. Threats persist due to structural imbalances in the regional economy, which requires both an in-depth assessment of the sustainability of an individual region and a comparative analysis within the macro-region to identify and mitigate these risks. The objective of the work is to analyze the relationship between the problems of agriculture and regional development. To achieve this goal, a set of general scientific and specialized methods is used: statistical analysis to assess the state of the socio-economic characteristics of the district and a general analysis of the agricultural sector. Structural-dynamic analysis to analyze the sectoral structure of agriculture in the district over the past few years. A systems method, a tabular method, a graphical method, and a synthesis of general scientific data were also used. As shown by the results of the study, the key problems of agriculture in the NWFD are: a low level of financing in the regions, inferior to the leading regions in economic indicators in agriculture; A lack of scientific research and technological implementation in the industry, as well as geographic and climatic conditions that prevent the cultivation of a number of agricultural crops needed for consumption. The analysis revealed prospects for the development of agriculture in the Northwestern Federal District, including the introduction of modern, advanced technologies and the use of greenhouse technologies.
The article presents the forecast of the main types of agricultural products production in Russia in 2026, made in line with the methodology developed in Agrarian policy and Agro-industrial complex development department of FSBSI FRC VNIIESH. The main forecast indicators are: areas and agricultural crops yields, livestock and productivity of animals, gross production. Crops yields dynamics has been analyzed since 1980, the consistency degree of main crops yields with grain has been determined, relative indicators of variation and average square were calculated. As a result, the multidirectional dynamics of grain yields from one hand and sunflower seeds and sugar beet from the other hand has been established. In our research the basis for determining the year’s favorability degree (“outcome”) is the grain crops yield, covered over 17% of the gross agricultural output and about 30% of the gross crop production output in 2025. An outcome probability in general in Russia and by regions in terms of grain yields has been estimated. According to our estimates, in 2026 we should expect the implementation of an average weather year with grain production in the amount of 131.9 million tons (69% probability), a favorable year – 146,5 million tons (17%), an unfavorable year – 92,4 million tons (14%). The results of the outcome probability calculated by grain yields ranges by regions differ from the indicators calculated in general in Russia: 50%, 36% and 14%.