Development of agriculture in the Volga Federal District in the context of integration

Abstract

Introduction. Agriculture contributes to the implementation of important strategic objectives of the socio-economic development of the country and individual regions. Strategic planning supported by a set of regulatory legal acts, adjusted by dynamic changes in the institutional environment at the federal districts and constituents of the Russian Federation will be effective due to the compliance of the implemented tools with the real situation when economic entities of the industry with various production and resource potential operate. The dynamics of production volumes is determined not only by internal capabilities, but also by trends in market integration, which becomes a type of adaptation of agricultural organizations to difficult macroeconomic conditions, as it helps to overcome existing structural problems and constraints. The Volga Federal District plays a significant role in the production of agricultural products of the Russian Federation for various purposes. It satisfies the needs of its own population and also exports to other regions and neighboring countries. The predominance of the share of agricultural holdings in the volume of agricultural production implies an increasing role of integration in the development of the industry and product diversification. Purpose. The study aims at substantiating the directions of agricultural development in the Volga Federal District in the context of integration. Materials and methods. The research relies on scientific and theoretical concepts of the functioning of agriculture as an element of the agro-industrial complex, which has production, financial, economic, social, and market links in the system of the region. Scientific and theoretical (analysis, synthesis, generalization, comparison, analogy), statistical data analysis, econometric forecasting of the main indicators of agriculture, cluster-network method are the key research methods. Results. Key economic indicators of agricultural production in the Russian Federation and the Volga Federal District have been compared. The trends of changes in these indicators are determined, taking into account various factors of influence. The forecast indicators of the development of the industry in Russia and the Volga Federal District are presented. Conclusions. The study developed an agricultural development model defined by cluster-network interaction tools for interaction between the subjects with various specializations in the Volga Federal District in the context of integration.