BARRIERS AND DRIVERS OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES: INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND LESSONS FOR UKRAINE

Abstract

The article examines the relevance of digital transformation in agriculture under conditions of structural heterogeneity, institutional asymmetry, market volatility, and crisis-related disruptions, with a particular focus on Ukraine as a transitional and war-affected economy. Digitalisation is conceptualised not merely as a technological modernisation process, but as a systemic transformation that reshapes production models, governance mechanisms, and value-chain coordination within agri-food systems. In this context, digital technologies function as instruments of productivity growth, environmental sustainability, traceability compliance, and long-term sectoral resilience. The purpose of the study is to identify, compare, and systematise the key drivers and barriers influencing the adoption of digital technologies in agricultural enterprises across diverse international contexts, and to formulate analytically grounded and policy-relevant lessons for Ukraine. The research is based on comparative qualitative analysis of peer-reviewed international literature, thematic synthesis of technological, economic, organisational, and institutional determinants, and contextual assessment of global digitalisation models adapted to Ukrainian infrastructural, regulatory, and crisis-related realities. The findings demonstrate that barriers to digital transformation operate as an interconnected systemic configuration in which constraints in infrastructure, finance, governance, and human capital reinforce one another, thereby limiting the effectiveness of isolated or sector-specific interventions. The study also identifies distinct digitalisation trajectories in developed, emerging, and innovation-driven agricultural systems, revealing differences in policy coordination, innovation ecosystems, and market incentives. A novel concept of resilience-driven digitalisation is proposed to explain technology adoption under extreme uncertainty, where digital tools are implemented not primarily for efficiency gains but to ensure operational continuity, remote management, risk monitoring, and adaptive decision-making in crisis environments.