The article is devoted to the problems of scientific and technical development of the agro-industrial complex and the introduction of the latest technical, technological and other achievements of science and practice in various branches and spheres of activity of agro-industrial production. Proceeding from the fact that a significant part of commodity producers do not have enough financial resources to modernize production, acquire advanced equipment and technologies, introduce other types of innovative products; it is proposed to draw the attention of scientists and specialists of the agro-industrial complex, government agencies and other interested parties to the possibility of using new approaches for these purposes to the relationship of participants in agro-industrial clusters. In particular, it is proposed to carry out mutual settlements between them when introducing innovations, taking into account the effect actually received by commodity producers from innovations. This approach will allow, on the one hand, the developer to implement an innovative product, showing maximum interest in its effective implementation; on the other hand, it will provide even unprofitable and low-profit producers with the possibility of scientific and technological development of production. This will also allow starting to improve communications between participants in agro-industrial clusters through the introduction of information technology. The development of the digital economy with a unified approach to software, standardization of forms and methods for collecting, storing and processing information resources at all levels of government, with appropriate government support, will contribute to the digitalization of the agro-industrial complex and will create a unified automated information system for the country.
The beginning of the XXI century is marked by the purposeful political leadership of the Russian Federation on the development of rural territories, improving the level and quality of life of the rural population. So, in 2002, the federal target program "Social development of the village until 2010" was adopted and then extended until 2013. Its logical continuation was the Concept of Sustainable Development of Rural Territories of the Russian Federation for the Period until 2020, approved by Order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated November 30, 2010 No. 2136-r. According to the results of the implementation of the Concept, the Government of the Russian Federation in 2015 approved the "Strategy for the sustainable development of rural territories of the Russian Federation for the period until 2030 (hereinafter - the Strategy). The positive results of the socio-economic development of rural areas and agro-industrial complex were well known. It is also undeniable that they were achieved largely thanks to the activities carried out in the above-mentioned documents. At the same time, another thing is obvious: the number of poor villagers is slowly declining; There is still a significant gap in the disposable income and social and cultural facilities of residents of the city and the village; health services for the rural population remain very problematic; Food security doctrine thresholds have not been met for all agricultural products; increased interregional differentiation in production levels and economic efficiency; Methodological support for the implementation of the Strategy, including a system of sustainable rural development targets, remains debatable. In this regard, the authors tried: to reveal the essence of the concept of "sustainable development of rural areas"; To propose a system of indicators for the sustainable development of rural areas that adequately disclose the content of this concept and apply to territorial entities of any region; Consider the need for and possibility of modelling an integral indicator of sustainable rural development that clearly reflects this process in time and space.
The purpose of the study is to assess the development of short food supply chains and identify their advantages for the functioning of rural areas. It is established that the predominant development of long food supply chains in the country based on large-scale vertically integrated production is inherited from the previous socialist system. In market conditions, the development of long food supply chains in the country based on vertically integrated production, with the placement of their main financial centers in large cities and regional centers, leads to increased monopolization of the food market, reducing the tax base in rural areas. Over concentration of capital and livestock in a limited space by agricultural holdings in large complexes in rural areas leads to environmental degradation, significant losses in biodiversity, and increased pressure on ecosystems. High-intensity agriculture, through the use of economies of scale and modern technologies, has accelerated the displacement of labour resources from the production sector, increasing unemployment in rural areas. In these conditions, a certain stabilizing social role in rural areas is played by small forms of management: personal subsidiary farms (LPH), individual farms (IF) population, K(f)X, small independent agricultural organizations. In this regard, an important task is to identify the problems of their development, determine the conditions under which they can become competitive producers in the local market of the food chain. In Russia, the following three types of food supply chains have been identified: long, short, and ultra short. The scientific novelty lies in the theoretical justification of the basic principles and indicators of sustainable food supply chains. A form of short supply chain capital generation (SCP) has been identified, which contributes to improving their competitiveness and sustainability of relatively long supply chains. Based on the analysis of the St. Petersburg food market, the main problems of the weak development of the SCP in the region are investigated.
This article is addressed to the features and the main directions for development of Russian agri-food exports to BRICS member states, which continue to be important trading partners of Russia. Based on international trade statistics, trends and structural changes in Russia's agri-food trade with BRICS partners and the rest of the world have been identified. A comparative analysis of these trends and structural shifts for the main groups of agri-food products was carried out in accordance with the Federal Project “Export of agro-industrial products”. Peculiarities of trade with individual BRICS countries are considered. In order to characterize the current conditions for Russia to realize its export potential in the BRICS markets, an assessment of the dynamics of complementarity of agri-food trade was carried out. Significant differences were determined for compliances of import trade profiles of BRICS partners with the export profile of the Russian Federation, as well as a low level of diversification of Russian supplies to the markets of Brazil, India and South Africa. Products with comparative advantages were identified, and the volumes of supply of these products to the BRICS markets in 2010-2019 were analyzed. It was revealed that a number of Russian products with a high level of comparative advantages are not exported to the BRICS countries. Particularly, such products are processed tobacco, pulp, molasses, barley, rye, wheat gluten. In addition, prospects for the export of products with unrealized comparative advantages are outlined. Potential supply values and the levels of Russia's export potential realization in the BRICS markets were estimated for the different categories of product groups. Based on these results it was concluded that Russia's realization of the existing export potential would allow it to acquire the status of a net exporter for trade with the BRICS countries as a whole. At the same time, agri-food imports from Brazil, India and South Africa will still prevail over Russian exports to these countries.
In the modern world, the fight against hunger, associated with the explosive growth of the world's population, leads to an acceleration of structural transformation processes in both agriculture and the food industry. The expansion of intensive agriculture, the spread of synthesized food products, and the development of genetic engineering allow us to increase food production, creating the prerequisites for an ever-increasing increase in the human population. As a result of uneven allocation of resources for agricultural production, net food-exporting countries face the potential threat of declining food quality due to excessive agricultural intensification associated with increased supplies to the world food market. Proclaiming the most important priority of national interests to provide the population with high-quality food, the state should develop and implement mechanisms of economic interaction in the food sphere of the national economy that guarantee the unconditional food security of the country. The institutional core of agricultural policy in Russia was the Doctrine of food security of the Russian Federation, which clearly outlined the development prospects for agricultural production according to the criterion of product safety. The use of synthesized foods does not comply with the provisions of the Doctrine, but there are no clear restrictions that prevent further intensification of agriculture, nor are the priorities of organic agriculture stated. In the development of the food security Doctrine, when developing an action plan for its implementation, it is advisable to establish quantitative parameters of structural proportions in national agriculture, taking as the basic parameter of structural transformations the share of land used for organic food production in the total volume of agricultural land. In this case, all investment expenses related to achieving the set share of certified land for organic production are structural investments and include financing of land certification, per-hectare support for producers, as well as subsidizing consumers of organic food.
The development of human capital in agriculture is one of the leading factors in the productivity and competitiveness of the industry. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of various socio-economic processes in the agricultural sector of Russia on the formation of human capital and to further provide the industry with labour resources of various qualifications in conditions of innovative development of the industry. To achieve the goal, the study used methods such as statistical, analysis and synthesis, design monographic and software-target. This study analyses the impact of socio-economic conditions on the formation and development of human capital in the agricultural sector of Russia, also analyzes the parameters that form the personnel support of the industry. The analysis concludes that the necessary measures are needed to improve the labour supply of agriculture. Increasing the attractiveness of the agricultural sector was based on increasing its profitability, creating favourable housing and other social conditions in rural areas. The implementation of these measures requires a significant increase in state support for the development of rural areas, aimed at improving their social and cultural component. In addition, it is necessary to develop and strengthen the system of material incentives for agricultural workers by increasing the level of wages, organizing opportunities for improving skills and obtaining additional education by agricultural workers.
In today's complex socio-economic conditions, it is necessary to highlight the most important aspects in the choice of rational directions of placement and specialization of agricultural production, to assess the economic efficiency of development in specific Siberian economic conditions. Improving the specialization and location of agro-industrial production is a necessary condition for the effective functioning of the agro-industrial complex, especially for Siberia with its vast territory and diverse natural resource potential. At the same time, each region of Siberia has formed and is forming its own specialization, which is formed taking into account their natural and economic zones in order to increase economic development, expand production and its efficiency. At the same time, levers and methods for determining the main directions for improving the location and specialization of agro-industrial production in Siberia remain poorly researched, which will allow identifying existing territorial problems and developing measures to eliminate them while taking into account the zonal natural and economic conditions of the territory of the Siberian region in combination with the territorial division of labour.
The effectiveness of technological re-equipment of the industry in Russia is directly related to a stable investment process and state support. The purpose of the research is to develop theoretical foundations, methodological and practical recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of investment activities of agricultural enterprises. The problems associated with investing in this industry are noted. Most regions are characterized by unfavourable natural and climatic conditions of agriculture, the existing structure of production and its territorial location, and the lack of opportunities for intensive development. Trends in the dynamics of changes in the volume of long-term investments in agriculture are identified. The Federal district under consideration is characterized by a stable level of investment in the industry at the level of 9-11‰, which indicates a low investment attractiveness of manufacturing enterprises and agriculture. In modern conditions of increased risks, there is a decrease to the lower limit, as crisis phenomena increase, production and sales volumes decrease. The tools that contribute to the high efficiency of investment processes in agricultural enterprises are analyzed. In the course of the study, the tools for attracting investment in various sectors of the economy were identified, depending on the goals of regional development. It is necessary to optimize mechanisms for the use and involvement in commercial turnover of agricultural land, improve the procedure for transferring rights to land plots, and control the targeted use of the resource potential of the industry. It is advisable to create a system of investment priorities depending on the indicators of effective use of resources by enterprises in the district.
The strategy for sustainable development of rural areas for the period up to 2030 has planned significant amounts of forest plantations, and science has proven their high efficiency for the crop industry-they stabilize agricultural production, increase its safety, act as an insurance measure against emergencies from natural anomalies, control erosion and deflation on arable land. In addition to successfully solving the tasks of the agro-industrial complex to stabilize degradation processes in agricultural landscapes and ensure stable yields, plantations have a certain potential for expanding the share of the forest sector in the regional economy. The cornerstone in assessing the effectiveness of forest reclamation is the practice that is traditionally based on taking into account only additional crop production, the so-called "increments" of the crop. The article proposes to develop this approach towards the overall environmental impact of plantings on adjacent fields, focusing primarily on their soil protection functions, reducing soil losses to acceptable limits. On the example of slope arable land, where there is a risk of water erosion, the optimal protective forest cover of this arable land is modelled. For each technological variant, the costs of creating forest-reclamation complexes and their various utilities are estimated, and the mathematical approximation of the regularities of the dynamics of the effectiveness of these measures is made depending on a wide range of forest and orographic conditions, and the service life of plantings. The conducted research makes it possible to conclude that it is advisable to develop slope arable land for forest reclamation and is a sufficient basis for stimulating the increase of protective forest cover in erosive-dangerous regions.
The aim of the study is to develop a methodology for assessing and monitoring the environmental friendliness of the agricultural enterprise's use of fertilizers and plant protection tools in order to improve environmental safety and ensure the sustainable development of land use. The main studies were carried out on the example of the agricultural organization of the Volgograd region. Environmental problems related to the uncontrolled use of various fertilizers and plant protection products (poisonous chemicals) in the agricultural industry were described. The agricultural organization has conducted an analysis of the efficiency of using the material and production reserves, which is a structural element of the system of ensuring the environmental safety of the enterprise. Specific factors affecting the optimization of the use of reserves in the agricultural organization (economic, political, social, cultural, raw materials, marketing, management, personnel, information, etc.) are identified and systematized; External and internal threats to environmental safety have been identified and identified. The information capabilities of analytical accounting of fertilizers and means of plant protection within the framework of environmental accounting have been expanded, which make it possible to increase the transparency and quality of information on the enterprise's activities in the field of environmental management, environmental protection and environmental safety. A coefficient of environmental friendliness of reserves showing the degree of "purity" of material and production reserves of agro-industrial complex organizations has been proposed, a report form has been developed on the results of analysis of environmental friendliness of material and production reserves and their use efficiency, which allows to obtain and control not only current, but also forecast values of these indicators. These measures are aimed at solving environmental problems, improving the safety and rational use of agricultural land, and increasing the strategic competitive property of the agricultural organization.