STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS AND SYSTEMIC BARRIERS TO THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF RUSSIAN AGRICULTURE

Abstract

This article presents the results of a comprehensive analysis of digital transformation processes in Russian agriculture from 2020 to 2024. The study's empirical basis consists of statistical data that allowed us to examine the dynamics of digital technology implementation costs, the structural characteristics of investments, and the level of diffusion of end-to-end technologies in the agricultural sector in comparison with average economic indicators. The methodological framework includes statistical, comparative, and structural analysis, as well as a systematization of barriers based on a synthesis of industry research results. Key trends identified include divergent investment activity, a decline in the implementation of artificial intelligence and big data technologies alongside an increase in the use of digital platforms, and stagnation in broadband penetration rates. The author proposes a systematization of barriers to digitalization, grouped into four categories: economic, personnel, technological, and institutional/organizational. The conclusion is substantiated about the presence of an «infrastructure-raw materials» bias in the structure of costs for the digitalization of the agro-industrial complex, which creates risks of inefficient use of the created infrastructure due to a shortage of intellectual superstructures and qualified personnel.