Current Issues of Agriculture Digitalization in the Russian Federation

Abstract

AbstractThe Chapter states that the information digital technology of the twenty-first century conceals an enormous potential of economic growth due to the automation and optimization of production processes, improvement of monitoring and control that enhance the manageability of both individual production and the entire economy. The implementation of digital projects in agriculture becomes an increasingly common trend in the whole world, including Russia. Digitalization includes such phenomena and technologies as big data, the Internet of Things, robotics, sensors, 3D printing, system integration, artificial intelligence, blockchains, etc., improving the quantity and quality of agricultural products and the logistics of their sale as well as increasing the social support of rural residents, reducing and easing their workload due to the production robotization. A range of foreign countries have created the necessary legal framework and launched the process of introducing digital technologies in agriculture, which has made it possible to achieve considerable success on this way also with regard to a significant increase in labor productivity. Digital systems in these countries have become important tools for managing risks in agriculture, helped to assess and eliminate them, and reduced the risks of production, weather, market, or climate variability. The Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation actively works in this area, having developed the departmental project “Digital Agriculture”. Its main goal is the digital transformation of agriculture by introducing digital technology and platform solutions to ensure a technological breakthrough in the agro-industrial complex and achieve the growth of productivity in “digital” agricultural enterprises. The implementation of the program of digital agriculture will lead to the achievement of the following results: automation of agricultural machinery, reduction of costs and demand for manual labor, remote satellite data and sensors will improve the accuracy and reduce the costs of the monitoring of crop growth and land and water quality. Tracking technologies and digital logistics services will optimize agricultural food supply chains and provide reliable information for consumers. However, to achieve the set goals, it is necessary to make amendments to the Federal Law “On Agriculture Development” specifying the incentives and benefits for developers and consumers of digital technology.KeywordsAgriculture digitalizationRussian federationClimateDigital technology