Economic Efficiency Of Agricultural Production Research Articles

Productive, Environmental and Economic Effects of Organic and Conventional Farms—Case Study from Poland

Due to the changes in the agricultural sector, there is a demand among policymakers, administration, advisors and farmers for comparisons of the economic efficiency of organic versus conventional farms and their environmental impact. The authors of the paper hypothesised that in some conditions, organic farms can reach similar productive and economic results as conventional farms and, at the same time, achieve better environmental effects. The aim of the research was to compare the production, environmental and economic effects of selected organic and conventional farms from eastern Poland (mixed, crop production, animal production). The basis for the comparative analysis was the data from 12 farms obtained using the questionnaire method (direct interview) from the years 2020 to 2021. The yields of cereals in the tested organic farms were about one-third lower than the average obtained on conventional farms. Total organic crop production in cereal units per ha was 43% of conventional production. Balances of NPK indicated surpluses or deficiency, which suggested that in both systems nutrient management should be improved and optimised. The compared groups of organic farms generally had higher economic efficiency—both with and without subsidies—than conventional farms, despite the fact that the latter obtained significantly higher incomes. Gross farm income on conventional farms was higher than on organic farms by 28%, but conventional farms had higher direct costs by 332% than organic ones. As a result, the economic efficiency of agricultural production of organic farms was higher by 59% than conventional farms. The lower level of inputs incurred on organic farms was the main factor determining their high economic efficiency. Organic farms pursuing an intensive model of agricultural production (milk production), but also with specialisation in crop production, proved to be the most economically efficient. Despite diversified production, reducing the income risk, the mixed production, both organic and conventional, in the studied set of farms turned out to be the least profitable, indicating the need to support it. It is suggested that moderate specialisation increases the efficiency of management in organic farming.

Роль инвестиций в повышении экономической эффективности сельскохозяйственного производства

The research is aimed at studying the role of investments in increasing the economic efficiency of agricultural production. As a result of the analysis, a close relationship was revealed between the index of the physical volume of investments and the increase in gross output. More than 70 % of state support for agriculture is concentrated in the Central Federal District and the Volga Federal District. This fact determines the uneven development of rural areas. The authors note that the livestock industry, due to the high saturation of the domestic market, becomes less attractive to investors, as the risks of non-demand for products increase. A negative situation is also developing in grain production as a result of the lack of opportunities for the development of the production base, high export duties, reduced technological efficiency of cultivation, and high natural and climatic risks. A decrease in investments is also observed in the greenhouse industry, due to the highly competitive market and the lack of state support measures to reimburse capital costs for the construction of greenhouses. There is no stagnation in the industrial segment of dairy production. There is a tendency to suspend investment projects for the construction or modernization of livestock complexes, greenhouse complexes, grain terminals, as well as grain processing plants. The main attractive segments for investment at the moment are the production of fertilizers, grain cultivation, production of oils and fats, and production of dairy products.

Crop plant automatic detecting based on in-field images by lightweight DFU-Net model

Efficiently and accurately extracting crop plants from authentic and complex field images is essential to ensure the economic efficiency of agricultural production and enhance farming operations. However, many existing deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) prioritize accuracy over efficiency in crop detection, often lacking real-time capabilities. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the automated detection of various crops, such as cotton plants and seed melons, in natural environments using a U-Net established with a Double-depth convolutional and Fusion block (DFU-Net). This involves exploring compound loss functions for improved accuracy. The DFU-Net model combines the strengths of lightweight CNNs and the U-Net model, constructing a Lightweight Crop with a Double-Depth Convolution backbone (LC-DDC). This is achieved by introducing a Double-Depth Convolutional block (DDC block) and incorporating initial and fusion blocks at the first and last positions of the encoder, respectively. The effectiveness of these designs is confirmed through ablation experiments and interpretability analyses. The experimental results indicate that the DFU-Net model achieved Pixel Accuracy (PA), mean Intersection over Union (mIoU), and F1 metrics exceeding 92.0 % for the cotton plant, seed melon, and Chloroplast Viability Prediction in Plant Phenotyping (CVPPP) dataset. Particularly, on the CVPPP dataset, DFU-Net outperformed the Pyramid Scene Parsing Network (PSPNet) model, demonstrating 16.4 %, 17.2 %, and 13.2 % higher PA, mIoU, and F1 scores, respectively. In addition, DFU-Net demonstrated efficient model space utilization, requiring only 0.975 MB and 1.68 GB for parameters and floating-point operations (FLOPs), respectively. The performance of low-performance computers is impressive, achieving a detection speed of 10.5 Frames Per Second (FPS), which is 6.9 times faster than that of the Deeplabv3 + model. This achievement demonstrates a balanced compromise between detection speed and accuracy. This study provides novel approaches for optimizing crop-detection algorithms, providing valuable technical support for intelligent crop management.

Bases of Economic Efficiency of Agricultural Production

Bases of Economic Efficiency of Agricultural Production

Land-Use Efficiency of Some Agricultural Livelihood Models on Low-Lying Land: A Study in Ha Tinh, Vietnam

Economic efficiency is a concept showing a concentration of development in depth, reflecting the exploitation of financial resources and the cost of resources in the production process. The study was conducted in Ha Tinh province, Vietnam, to evaluate the economic efficiency of agricultural production in low-lying areas. The research results of the topic are based on data collected from 80 agricultural households of 3 livelihood models (specialising fish, rice–fish, and rice–fish–duck). The results show that the specialising fish model gives the most extensive production value and requires the highest initial investment costs, followed by the rice–fish–duck model and the rice–fish model. However, considering the production efficiency indicators, the rice–fish–duck model has the highest economic efficiency, then the specialised fish model and the rice–fish model. The study also pointed out some limitations of livelihood models and farmer households, such as land size, technical system, and seed source. Therefore, if these shortcomings are solved, the economic efficiency of farmers will be improved.

Technical and economic substantiation of directions for investing in the innovative development of the material and technical base of agricultural enterprises

Purpose. Increasing the efficiency of investments in the technical re-equipment of agricultural production due to the justification of the priority directions for updating the machine-tractor park fleet of the enterprise and the compliance of the indicators of the assignment of technical means with the requirements of agricultural machinery for the quality and time of execution of technological operations. Methods. Monographic, economic-mathematical, analytical, abstract-logical. Results. As a result of the analysis of the yield dynamics of agricultural crops and the structure of costs for their cultivation in various types of enterprises, it was established that the main factor in increasing the economic efficiency of agricultural production is the introduction of innovative resource-saving technologies and their latest technical support. It was noted that the possibilities of attracting investment resources in the innovative development of the material and technical base in large agricultural enterprises and agroholdings are significantly higher than in small farms and farms. Methodical approaches to the determination of investment-attractive areas of re-equipment, which will ensure the maximum economic effect from capital investments, are proposed. Conclusions. The main factor in increasing the volume and increasing the efficiency of crop production is the innovative development of the technical and technological base of the industry, which should ensure the continuity and rhythm of production processes, their adaptability to changing natural and climatic conditions. As the basis of the strategy of investing in the innovative development of the material and technical base of agricultural enterprises, it is advisable to take the achievement of the greatest profit from the use of innovations in production processes. The greatest effect from the use of a new technical tool will be achieved if its performance indicators are aligned with the requirements of agricultural technology for the quality and timing of technological operations. Keywords: material costs, energy costs, productivity, investment, equipment, material and technical base, priority directions.

Toolkit for managing the growth of the resource potential at agrarian enterprises

The paper considers the composition of the toolkit for managing the growth of the resource potential at agrarian enterprises within the framework of the relevant mechanism and substantiates the procedures for its application in the context of increasing the competitiveness and efficiency of the activities at the mentioned business entities. The mechanism for managing the resource potential of an agrarian enterprise with appropriate tools is proposed, which allows to ensure the effective use of the resource potential, its effective management and economic stability of the agrarian enterprise based on the methodology of assessing the efficiency of using resource potential based on a multidimensional comparative analysis. The priority directions for the growth of the efficiency of using resources and production potential have been determined, which are related to the increase in the intensity of using production resources, their balance, the optimal combination of cluster membership of agricultural enterprises, which lead to a positive multiplier effect and an increase in the economic efficiency of agricultural production. It was established that the most objective procedure in the study of economic growth and efficiency of the agrarian sector of the economy is to conduct a multifactorial analysis, which is expedient to carry out taking into account the clustering that was provided in the study. The methodical approach to managing the resource potential of an agrarian enterprise has been developed, the essence of which results in the definition of the functional dependence between resource costs in the consumption process and the effective indicator of the produced goods based on the set of consumer properties, that is, a number of production parameters that are formed in the process of product consumption in subsequent production cycles. Keywords: economic development, resource potential, production potential, management tools, cluster analysis.

МЕХАНИЗМЫ ВЛИЯНИЯ СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИХ ФАКТОРОВ СЕЛЬСКИХ ТЕРРИТОРИЙ НА РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ АГРАРНОГО ПРОИЗВОДСТВА

The article examines the mechanism of influence on the economic efficiency of agricultural production of socio-economic factors that determine the development of rural areas at the present stage. The purpose of the study is to identify and substantiate those forms of interrelations in rural areas that contribute to improving the efficiency of agricultural production. It is established that the whole set of socio-economic factors (elimination of seasonality, increase and uniform income generation, development of social activity, etc.) can be considered as a separate element of the organizational and economic mechanism of innovative development of agricultural production. It is argued that the role of territorial contractual relations in the field of joint production and social activities of business entities and their interaction with municipal government bodies is increasing. It is established that social factors have a twofold impact on the level of costs. On the one hand, they contribute to their growth, on the other – to increase the economic effect, thereby ensuring the payback of the costs incurred. It is proposed to form certain forms of contractual territorial and economic structures for the development of rural territories and socio-economic ties of business entities. Such as economic associations created within the framework of individual administrative-territorial units in order to develop the entire economic complex, and also associations for coordination and cooperation, created not for the purpose of conducting any economic activity, but as an organizational tool for developing and implementing a common strategy of coordinated actions to solve certain problems affecting the interests of several rural areas

Функционирование экономических процессов аграрного сектора экономики Кыргызстана в современных условиях

The article deals with the functioning of economic processes in the agrarian sector of the Kyrgyz economy in modern market conditions. As well as an analysis (for 2016-2020) of the economic efficiency of agricultural production in the Kyrgyz Republic. Investments in fixed capital of agriculture, forestry and fisheries for 2020. And also given an analysis and assessment of the state and development of agriculture in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The use of safflower crops (Carthamus tincforius) for phytomelioration of dark chestnut soils in Western Kazakhstan

Biologization of crop production, aimed at the predominant use of biological factors to increase the economic efficiency of agricultural production, is becoming the main direction of increasing soil fertility and obtaining high guaranteed yields of agricultural crops. Currently, the actual trend in the development of organic farming is the support and restoration of soil fertility, primarily through the use of green fertilizers. One of the new types of field crops used as a phytomeliorant is safflower. According to the morphological characteristics of the genetic horizons of the profile and the agrochemical parameters of the arable layer of the soil of the experimental plots, they are characteristic for dry steppe zone of Western Kazakhstan. In the experiment, safflower crops (Carthamus tincforius) were studied as a phytomeloriant. The area of the plots is 50 m2, the replication is threefold, the location of the plots is systematic. The seeding rate of safflower seeds is recommended for the dry steppe zone of the West Kazakhstan region. The green mass of safflower as a green fertilizer was plowed into the soil during the periods of it's flowering with disc harrows. As a result of the study, an assessment was made of field crops of yellow mustard and safflower cultivated in the organic farming system for phytomeloration of dark chestnut soils. Studies have shown that in the 0–2 cm layer of dark chestnut soils under the influence of the phytomeliorative action of safflower, an increase in the content of nitrate nitrogen from 5.08 to 5.35 mg/100 g of soil, or by 5.31%, was noted by autumn. During the spring — autumn period, in the 0–20 cm layer of dark chestnut soils, the content of mobile phosphorus increased from 1.17 to 1.22 mg/100 g of soil, or by 4.27%. Sowings of safflower had a positive effect on the agrophysical indicators of dark chestnut soils. In studies, soil loosening by 0.020 g/cm3 and an increase in structure up to 64.47% were established.

Use of biological technologies of agricultural crop growing for increase the environmental and economic efficiency of agricultural production

Use of biological technologies of agricultural crop growing for increase the environmental and economic efficiency of agricultural production

Environmental problems during the disposal of decommissioned agricultural machinery

Together with industry and transport, agriculture contributes significantly to environmental degradation. This is especially true for industrialized countries and territories with a high population density. Given the projected population growth, it is obvious that the intensifi cation of agricultural production is the only way to avoid food shortages. In the agro-industrial complex (AIC) of Russia, when carrying out the disposal of agricultural machinery (SHT), this issue is particularly acute, since it is related to the environmental safety of the environment. To reflect the most urgent problems related to environmental safety in agriculture in the creation and effective functioning of the "Agricultural Recycling" system. The introduction of a new energy-saturated SHT and the decommissioning of the spent 1, or even 1.5–2 depreciation period of the SHT is one of the main factors in the formation of a resource-saving eco-oriented system "Agricultural recycling". It is important that this system ensures not only the receipt of secondary resources in maximum quantities, but also ensures the environmental safety of the environment. The problem of handling agricultural waste in the agro-industrial complex (AIC) is one of the key environmental problems due to the fact that the equipment used in agricultural farms, as a rule, is far beyond the depreciation resource. Decommissioned machinery (VET) contains a large number of secondary resources — useful substances and materials, the irrational use of which significantly reduces the economic efficiency of agricultural production. The main directions of ensuring sustainable and environmentally safe agriculture are the promotion of relevant initiatives, the creation of economic incentive mechanisms, the formation of public opinion, technological re-equipment. The main link of these measures is the technological modernization of agricultural production, the essence of which is to create workshops (sites) for the utilization of agricultural waste on the basis of existing enterprises of the agricultural sector. The creation of an eff ective system for the utilization of agricultural waste in the next 2–3 years at the regional level in the most developed agricultural regions will significantly solve the problem of environmental safety in the agro-industrial complex.

Socio-ecological and economic efficiency of agricultural production in China

The modern tasks of agriculture are concentrated in the area of reconciling the contradictions between increasing growth rates in conditions of limited natural resources and protecting the interests of citizens and the environment. The study is devoted to the overview of the current state, consideration of development prospects and analysis of the experience of the People's Republic of China in assessing the efficiency of agricultural production based on an index system of indicators, including 12 indicators grouped by social, environmental and economic characteristics, combined into a comprehensive development index. As a result of the study, the problems and mechanisms of support to rural areas at the state level, which can be useful to other agricultural territories and states, have been identified.

WAYS TO INCREASE THE ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF FARMS IN RURAL AREAS

In the economic development of the country, the priority is to achieve a high standard of living of the people, which is largely due to food security, the degree of development of the production of agricultural raw materials and food products. It follows that the central element of the economic activity of the country as a whole and its regions is the effective development of agricultural production. The role of the agro-industrial complex as a multifunctional system should be considered from the economic, social, environmental and political perspectives. The subject of the study. Patterns of development of the agricultural market and the formation of new economic relationships of economic entities corresponding to the level of development of the market economy at the regional level. The purpose and objectives of the study. The need to critically assess the economic situation that has developed in the agricultural production of Kazakhstan, and to justify ways to improve its economic efficiency. The necessity of program-targeted regulation of the economy of agricultural production in Kazakhstan is justified: the main directions of effective development of agricultural production in Kazakhstan are identified; mechanisms for improving the efficiency of agricultural production are proposed; the main elements of socio-economic security are identified in order to improve the real economic and social situation of the rural population; measures are recommended to improve the effective use of agricultural land as the main means of production. The scientific novelty of the work consists in the further development of the methodology and applied aspects of the study of the problem of increasing the economic efficiency of agricultural production and the development of a major problem of increasing agricultural production, revealing significant reserves for the implementation of the Food Program.

Efficient production and sale of root vegetables in the Moscow region

Based on official statistics, the analysis of the economic efficiency of production and sale of root vegetables on the example of carrots and beets in the Moscow region for the period 2012-2016 was carried out. Separate economic indicators of the largest agricultural holdings in the region are presented: CJSC “Bunyatino” and CJSC “Kulikovo”. It is indicated that in the conditions of import substitution, the average annual level of profitability of production of root vegetables by industrial technologies is 27-28%. Increasing the economic efficiency of agricultural production is reduced to increasing crop yields, improving the use of fixed and working capital, reducing the cost of production, increasing labor productivity and product quality.

ENERGY-ECOLOGICAL EFFICIENCY OF AGROECOSYSTEM OF WEST KAZAKHSTAN

The negative balance of the reproduction of soil energy indicates a deep ecological and energy crisis in agriculture. Analyzed: indicators of the use of biological factors, such as solar energy and the energy of soil fertility, affect the ecological and economic efficiency of agricultural production; the efficiency of using solar energy and the coefficient of its efficiency. The required level of productivity has been determined to maintain the annual deficit-free soil balance in the western region of Kazakhstan. The necessity of state regulation to determine the critical threshold of the yield level to compensate for the deficiency of soil energy at the expense of other sources of organic matter has been substantiated. For the modernization and ecological optimization of agriculture, a bio-energetic model of individual crop rotations was built, which also includes indicators of crop yield, the degree of mineralization of soil organic matter and some other standard indicators.

МЕТОДИЧНІ ПІДХОДИ ДО ВИЗНАЧЕННЯ ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ ЕФЕКТИВНОСТІ ВИРОБНИЦТВА В СІЛЬСЬКОМУ ГОСПОДАРСТВІ

At the level of individual sectors of the national economy, the criteria of economic efficiency are specified according to the specifics of the direction. For example, in agriculture, it is primarily an increase in the production of net products at the lowest cost of living and tangible labor. For some agricultural producers, the criterion of economic efficiency of economic activity will be the maximum profit, because it characterizes the main purpose of production. It is difficult to assess the economic efficiency of agricultural production. This is due to the use of not only material, technical and labor resources, but also natural factors – heat, light, precipitation, etc., as well as scientific, technical and information. Not only live labor is used, but also past, as well as the environment. Therefore, the system of indicators makes it possible to conduct a comprehensive analysis and draw sound conclusions about improving the economic efficiency of production. With the help of a system of indicators it is possible to specify the main or auxiliary criteria, to give a generalized and qualitative description of economic processes. Practice shows that for different industries, levels of government and goals it is necessary to use different indicators, which should be organically related to the main criterion and provide a clearer comparison of the results. The economic result of the enterprise largely depends on the extent to which the financial return of the resources used and the extent to which the level of profitability is achieved in the process of formation of production costs. At the same time, to make certain conclusions about the level of economic efficiency of the enterprise, the profit must be compared with the costs or assets that provide business activities, to determine profitability, because the absolute amount of profit does not characterize the level of production efficiency. In determining the level of economic efficiency of production in agriculture, it is necessary to take into account the interrelated factors and indicators that make it possible to comprehensively determine the level of efficiency. Natural and cost indicators are used for this purpose.

Machinery used in field cultivation: a comparative economic analysis of 1979 and the present

The issues of economic efficiency of agricultural production, from tillage to harvesting crops, have always been at the forefront of the activities of agricultural organizations. Technological experts are interested in the correct formation of machine and tractor aggregates (MTA), in choosing the optimal method of MTA movement, how to properly prepare the field for the operation of one or another unit. Optimization of the transport process for the delivery of seeds, fertilizers, as well as for the transport of crops is of great importance. Agricultural transport is of particular importance when harvesting grain and forage crops, because the performance of the entire harvesting and transport complex (HTC) depends on the availability of transport. Agricultural production is based on the constant improvement of the quality of MTA, the use of more energy-rich tractors, wide-cut and combined tillage and sowing machines. Modern agricultural production implies a high energy/labor ratio. The system for maintaining technical readiness, i.e. maintenance and repair (MOT and R) is very important in the efficient use of agricultural machinery. The current state of agriculture, more than ever, requires a more thorough scientific approach to the most effective use of available agricultural equipment, to properly organize its work, to maintain optimal agrotechnical terms, which is a guarantee of an increase in gross product yields. This study analyzes the supply and purchase of the main types of agricultural machinery in the years of the 10th five-year plan (1976-1980) and in the modern period (2016-2020), the power-to-weight ratio of agriculture for these periods, the load of arable land and areas under grain crops per one tractor and one combine harvester, the operational characteristics of tractors and combine harvesters of that time (1979) and modern ones are presented. It should be noted that the problem of short-term planning of field work, identified by researchers in 1979, remains relevant at the present time.

FEATURES AND INDICATORS OF FORMATION OF ENERGY SAVING SYSTEM IN AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES

Purpose. The aim of the article is in-depth study of questions related to the features, methodological approaches and indicators of economic analysis and evaluation of the energy saving system in agricultural enterprises. Methodology of research. The methodological basis of the study is the dialectical method of scientific knowledge. The study used general and special methods, including abstract and logical (to outline the main factors, influencing the characteristics of energy saving in agricultural enterprises, for the author’s interpretation of the energy saving system in agricultural enterprises), deductive (to analyse the dynamics and areas of economic efficiency level increase of energy saving system); generalization (in the study of the possibility of implementing the latest technologies aimed to improve the energy saving system in agricultural enterprises). Findings. It is established that agricultural industries have a number of features, in particular: use energy for production, generate it. This feature is based on the fact that in the production process there are three fundamentally different types of energy: anthropotechnogenic (fossil); solar and soil energy. It was found that the process of energy conservation in agriculture should be formed by reducing fossil energy sources and by making fuller use of renewable solar energy and soil energy potential. An important feature of agriculture has been identified, which lies in its significant level of spatial dispersion, which causes significant costs for transport services of production processes and logistics. There is a significant difference in the principles of energy consumption, fossil energy is the main in industry and in agriculture - it plays a supporting role. There, natural energy forms the biological mass (harvest, live mass of animals). The author’s interpretation of the concept “energy saving of agricultural enterprises” is offered, which includes a system of measures (organizational, economic, technical and technological, ecological, legal and operational), coordinated action of which should be aimed at the rational use of energy in the process of agricultural production. The indicators of the group of economic analysis of energy saving in agriculture are determined: total energy capacity; energy armament; energy supply; electrical equipment of labour, etc. The key stages of energy saving research and tasks in agricultural enterprises are clarified. Grouping of methods of research of energy saving is offered. Originality. The author’s interpretation of the concept of “energy saving of agricultural enterprises”, definition of key stages of energy saving research and systematization of appropriate methods were further developed. Practical value. The introduction of research results into production will help increase the economic efficiency of agricultural production. Key words: energy saving, energy efficiency, energy resources, renewable energy sources, rational use of energy resources.

ІННОВАЦІЙНИЙ РОЗВИТОК АГРАРНОГО ВИРОБНИЦТВА В УМОВАХ ЦИФРОВІЗАЦІЇ ЕКОНОМІКИ

The article develops and substantiates the theoretical and methodological and applied principles of innovative development of agricultural production in the context of digitalization of the economy. In modern conditions, the key to sustainable development and efficiency of the agricultural sector is the use of advanced technologies and developments, including digital, which is especially important for our state, which aims to form an information society. It is determined that informatization and globalization of the economy, as well as reducing the share of traditional ways and industries, expanding the service sector, knowledge-intensive and high-tech industries are prerequisites for structural transformations of the economy, which are necessary for innovative development and digitalization. It is noted that by overcoming information barriers, increasing production capacity and changing the nature of production processes, digital technologies can make economic development more inclusive, efficient and innovative. The current level of digitalization of the economy allows to organize mechanisms for collecting, processing and delivery to the place of use of basic and effective information with minimal use of labor, material and financial resources to perform these functions. Having relevant information is a unique competitive advantage of businesses, which allows them to increase the accuracy of forecasting their activities and, thus, to ensure economic stability. By simplifying tasks and increasing the productivity of existing factors of production, digital information and communication technologies can significantly increase the economic efficiency of agricultural production. It is established that for a harmonious combination of all possible directions of innovative development it is necessary to create certain conditions, the main of which is a single digital platform, the formation of which will promote innovative development of agro-industrial enterprises, which is a necessary and sufficient condition for structural and sectoral transformations.