Innovation as a strategic direction for increasing the economic efficiency of the agro-industrial complex

. The scientific article is devoted to the study of the processes of innovatization and informatization of the agro-industrial complex. Critical review of publications of academic and business circles and identification of strategic directions of innovative development of the agro-industrial complex; formation of a statistical database and quantitative analysis of indicators of innovative development and digital maturity of the agro-industrial complex; identification of key milestones in the development of the agro-industrial complex in the context of ongoing digital reforms. In the process of writing a scientific article, general scientific (observation, comparison, measurement, analysis and synthesis, the method of logical reasoning) and specifically scientific (static analysis, expert assessments, graphical method) methods of scientific cognition were used. The main directions of innovation and digitalization of the agro-industrial complex are: the development of precision agriculture, the formation of a network of smart farms and greenhouse complexes, the implementation of the federal program of technological cooperation of the agro-industrial complex and the IT sphere "Industrial FoodNet". The main obstacles to the innovative development of the agro-industrial complex are: the dominance of state financing of projects in the field of digital reform; lack of educational programs in the field of cooperation of the agroindustry and IT; insufficient dissemination of ideas and requirements of responsible business policy, expressed in the adoption and compliance with ESG principles; internal resistance of agribusiness management to deep reforms due to the fear of disclosure of trade secrets and the need for admission of partners from the IT sphere to sensitive economic information.


Introduction
Ensuring the productive functioning of the agricultural sector in modern economic conditions objectively requires a large-scale and fundamental reform of the business model of agriculture, based on the transition from a resource-based (extensive) to an innovationoriented (intensive) paradigm based on the active use of digital technologies in the organization, monitoring and management of agribusiness. The importance of implementing a systematic, holistic and complete revision of approaches to agriculture is justified by the following factors: 1) the internal environment of the agro-industrial complex has a complex and nonlinear structure of value chains between the agribusinesses in the field of livestock and crop production and the processing link already related to industry, and any violation of their integrity leads to an interruption of the operational cycle of production of final products; 2) the aggravation of global problems of population growth, the deterioration of the biosphere and the need to find new mechanisms to ensure food security; 3) there is an objective lag between the Russian agro-industrial complex and the world according to the criteria for the use of digital technologies and innovation activity: according to ITC in 2021, Russia took only the 18th place in the export of agricultural products (2.0% of world exports) [1]; share of patent applications in the field of agriculture according to data for 2021 It was 0.9%, and innovation activity is 17-20 times lower than in the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany and 10-12 times lower than in Poland and Turkey (the countries are taken as important partners-importers of seed material, equipment and technologies) [2] 4) the emergence of conflicts between the adoption by state regulators of the concept of a "green economy" based on responsible environmental management and leveling the "economic footprint" with traditional agribusiness development strategies. All this determines the relevance and practical significance of the topic of scientific research.
The purpose of the scientific publication is to analyze and systematize information about the processes of innovative development and digital reform of the agro-industrial complex in the context of Russia's transition to the society of Industry 4.0.
Scientific hypothesis of the study: innovations in the field of agrotech and digital technologies have a positive impact on its competitive position, expressed in the growth of the culture of agriculture, the safety of final products and the intensification of the use of natural resources.biological potential.
The purpose of the study implies the formulation and solution of the following tasks: 1) critical review of publications of academic and business circles and identification of strategic directions of innovative development of the agro-industrial complex; 2) formation of a statistical database and quantitative analysis of indicators of innovative development and digital maturity of the agro-industrial complex; 3) identification of key time milestones in the development of the agro-industrial complex in the context of ongoing digital reforms..

Materials and methods
General scientific methods (observation, comparison, measurement, analysis and synthesis, the method of logical reasoning) were used in the preparation of the theoretical section of scientific research devoted to the definition of the main directions of the development of agriculture in the reality of Industry 4.0. To carry out a quantitative analysis of indicators and metrics of innovation activity and digital maturity of the agro-industrial complex, specific scientific methods (static analysis, expert assessments, graphical method) were used, the Foresight method "4 worlds" was used to form scenarios for the future development of the agro-industrial complex in the digital economy.
The following sources were used as sources of statistical information and analytical materials: statistical collections "Agriculture in Russia"; National reports on the progress and results of the implementation of the state program for the development of agriculture and regulation of agricultural products, raw materials and food markets, Forecast of scientific and technological development of the agro-industrial complex of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030 [4], statistical collections of the HSE "Indicators of Innovative Development", "Indicators of the Digital Economy", thematic publications of the Ministry of Agriculture, consulting company "Tekart", business portals "Agroinvestor", "RBC", "AgFunder".

Results and discussion
Based on the publications of representatives of foreign (C. Osei, A. Yeboah, F. Arthur, E. Agbedanu, S. Chidiac [6], A.K. Podder, A.A. Bukhari, S. Islam, S. Mia, M. Mohammed, N. Kumar [7]; S. D.Prager, K. Wiebe [8]) academic circles, it was found that the innovation of agricultural enterprises occurs within one of three business models: 1) the business model of a pure producer -agribusiness concentrates resources and efforts on the intensification of agricultural production processes, taking into account stricter requirements for its quality, environmental friendliness and consumer safety at the start of the value chain, i.e. before its industrial processing. Agribusinesses that have taken this model as a basis are characterized by high investment activity in terms of acquiring the best samples of biological assets (seed and breeding gene pool), as well as updating the active part of the material and technical base (machinery, equipment, special equipment). The disadvantage of such a business model is the extremely small opportunity to influence the further value-added generation chain at the stage of primary and final processing of agricultural products, which leads to risks of return on investment and the overall efficiency of agribusiness [1; 2]; 2) the business model "from the field to the counter" is the formation of integral value chains by creating stable cooperative relationships with FMCG (wholesale and retail) and HoReCa business segments (restaurant and hotel business). Within the framework of such a model, unified technological requirements for products and logistics maps and delivery schedules are being developed, which makes it possible to make agribusiness activities more rhythmic and increase asset turnover. A feature of this model is significant costs for branding, marketing and certification of products, there is partner financing of joint projects in the field of agricultural technologies aimed at preserving and improving the marketability of products, process innovations in the field of logistics [3]; 3) the business model of the "agro-industrial ecosystem" -involves not just the use of information technology, but the creation of a holistic data exchange space between all participants in the value chain with the ability to personalize the characteristics of the final product to the customer's requests. Such a model is the basis for the creation of an industrial FoodNet -a platform on which, in real time, key participants in the agro-industrial chain (agricultural producers themselves, businesses in the field can track the movement of agricultural products, analyze their characteristics and life cycle, optimizing the order portfolio and the required delivery payment schedule [3; 4]. To determine the most important areas of implementation of the processes of innovation and informatization of the agricultural sector, a comparative analysis of foreign and Russian practices of reforming agribusiness in the context of the digital economy was carried out (Table 1). -the presence of a significant bank of land in the zone of risky farming (97 million hectares, or 44% of all farmland); -low level of safety and marketability of agricultural products (losses range from 20 to 48%); -low level of penetration of digital technologies in the agro-industrial -exhaustion of the potential of extensive development of farmland (losses from drought, desertification, hurricanes in 2020 amounted to more than $ 1.0 billion);); -mass bankruptcy of farmers in the grain production line due to trade wars with Russia and China (USA); complex; -aggravation of environmental conflicts: deforestation, erosion and desertification, dust storms, etc.
-the growth of the purchasing power of the agro-industrial complex market in the region of Southeast Asia (by 2030, more than 65.0% of the world's middle class is expected to be in the region) 2.
The mechanism of digital reform Determination by the state regulator in the person of the Ministry of Agriculture of the main directions of innovative development of the agroindustrial complex and the use of digital solutions with the provision of financial and technological support, which applies primarily to the largest agricultural holdings of the country.
The key roles are occupied by state corporations in the field of high technologies (Rostec Group; Rosatom, RUSNANO) and 8 specialized hightech platforms.
China: public-private partnership model of the group of IT giants BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) and agribusiness enterprises; state program "Internet +" for the introduction of IoT systems for farm management. USA: development of the national agrotech ecosystem based on public-private cooperation of agribusiness and the FAMGA group of IT megabusinesses with the involvement of private venture financing. EU: creation of supranational funds for the development of green agriculture ("Green Basket") 3. Goals of digital reform -reduction of import dependence in terms of seeds, breeding stock of agricultural animals, plant protection products and veterinary drugs; -development of domestic IT business in the field of agricultural technologies and promotion of interfirm cooperation; -intensification of the use of the farmland fund; -increasing transparency and control of business processes in the value chain and the sale of finished products; -leveling of export risks in terms of certification and phyto-and veterinary-sanitary control; -improving the efficiency of the processes of state financing of agriculture and public procurement management -ensuring food security through the use of the latest achievements of breeding and genetics (China; USA); -greening of food production processes (EU); -reducing the negative impact of the functioning of the agroindustrial complex on the biosphere of the planet (USA; EU; China); -development of cooperation between the IT sphere, science and agribusiness through the infrastructure of digital platforms (USA; China); -increasing the level of selffinancing and sustainability of the functioning of the agro-industrial complex (USA; EU).
As follows from the comparative analysis, in Russia, the mechanism of digitalization of the agro-industrial complex is based on state participation, which is due to both the classification of the industry as critically important from the point of view of ensuring national security (segment -food security), and the decisive role of state corporations and foundations (for example, JSC RVC, RosAgro Foundation, "Skolkovo, etc.) in the development and implementation of digital transition programs and business model innovatization. It is important to note that the Russian agricultural market is not only strictly segmented, but also has signs of oligopoly: for example, the TOP 10 regions in 2021 provided 67% of all-Russian exports ($24.8 billion in value terms) against 68% in 2020, and 13 of the country's largest agricultural holdings were located in these regions, this makes it difficult to harmonize the directions of digital reform of the agro-industrial complex between their vision by the state regulator and businesses.
The dynamics of the processes of innovatization and digitalization of individual segments of the agro-industrial complex for 2016-2020 is shown in Figure 1.  most important business processes of the functioning of agribusiness: sowing operations, animal feeding regime and tracking their life cycle, harvesting, storage of primary agricultural products. The basis is the formation of a platform solution based on artificial intelligence in the ERP format (Enterprise, Resources, Processes), which will integrate control centers for individual business processes using a secure IoT network and a system of sensors for analyzing the operation of machines, equipment, as well as trackers of biological processes in animals and plants based on machine vision. Assessment of the impact on the sustainable development of the agro-industrial complex: unlocking the potential of biological assets by creating the most favorable conditions for their growth and development; reducing mortality and crop loss due to proactive management of the life cycle and the mechanism of balanced feeding /fertilization, reducing the influence of the human factor on the performance of individual agricultural work by replacing them with robotic complexes.

Smart greenhouse complexes
Characteristic of the direction: in order to involve the land fund in the category of risky farming, it is planned to stimulate the creation of greenhouse complexes with intelligent management based on artificial intelligence and IoT sensors that maximize the processes of plant development and their productivity. The format of smart greenhouses is supposed to be different: 1) on the basis of existing large agricultural holdings for self-sufficiency of workers with fresh vegetables and fruits; 2) independent large businesses for placement in remote regions where the supply of fresh vegetable / fruit products is difficult or possible only for a short time (for example, cities of the Far North); 3) network structures operating on the basis of private farms and closing the need for niche agricultural products (for example, fresh herbs, exotic fruits, thermophilic vegetables of the melon group). Assessment of the impact on the sustainable development of the agro-industrial complex: increasing the involvement of the land bank in business turnover, increasing the level of comfort of life of residents of remote regions, reducing the costs of logistics of agricultural products, leveling the level of availability of agricultural products by regions of the country. 4. The program of technological cooperation of the agro-industrial complex and the IT sphere "Industrial FoodNet" Characteristic of the direction: combining disparate initiatives from agribusiness, venture industry and scientific achievements into a holistic ecosystem of finding partners, financing and businesses interested in end-to-end digitalization and innovatization of approaches to agriculture. The program includes a number of areas: 1) study and commercialization of alternative sources of raw materials and food products, including artificial protein synthesis, the use of microbial biomass; 2) technologies and equipment for highly productive agribusiness (robotization and automation of business processes; construction of city farms, digital twins, breeding and genetic modeling); 3) smart supply chains (production and supply cycle tracking services; smart packaging and label; recycling and safe disposal); 4) biologized agriculture (development of the practice of industrial reproduction of valuable and rare wild plants, restoration of plants listed in the Red Book; intensification of the processes of terraforming farmland) Note: Source: compiled by the authors according to [10][11][12][13][14].
Based on the main directions of innovative development of the agro-industrial complex, an overview of individual indicators and metrics of digital maturity of agrotech as an aggregated concept, including private and public initiatives of innovative development of the industry, was prepared (Table 3). As follows from the table data, quantitative indicators and metrics show that the contribution of the agro-industrial complex to the formation of the country's GDP for the analyzed period of time ranged from 3.5 -4.7%, and the innovative activity of agribusiness increased slightly: 6.3% vs. 3.7%. The same applies to investments in agrotechnical projects: in 2021, compared with 2016, their volume increased by $ 122.0 million, or by 181.6%, while structurally projects for the development of consumer technologies "from counter to plate" clearly prevail, due to lower capital intensity and payback periods.
As for qualitative indicators, the situation is different here: really noticeable changes over 6 years can be noted only in terms of increasing the productivity of the exploitation of biological assets (+6.9% vs. 3.5%) and the growth of agricultural crops and the preservation of the land fund (+6.2% vs. 3.3%), while increasing safety and marketability agricultural products changed by only 0.7 percentage points, and the increase in the level of food safety as a whole decreased from 20.3% to 11.6%.
At the end of the analytical section of the scientific research, the author made a forecast describing the key time milestones in the development of agriculture in the context of ongoing digital reforms (Table 4). Table 4. Key temporal milestones in the development of the agro-industrial complex in the context of ongoing digital reforms. The initiation by state regulators: the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Development -the formation of a centralized management system for agricultural segments (crop production, animal husbandry, greenhouses, horticulture, aquaculture) by combining into a single federal network of 100 largest agribusinesses with a single data exchange standard and end-to-end technologies for managing the chains of creation of the final product for consumer and production markets. Emphasis on the development of robotic systems for sowing seeds, fertilizers and plant protection products, the use of UAVs to monitor the condition of crops; robotization and automation of life cycle management processes of working animals (milking, feeding, control of vital processes and conditions of maintenance) to minimize crop losses and animal deaths. Examples of successful business cases: the robotic complex of PJSC Cherkizovo "Tambov Turkey" -the business model is fully controlled by an AI system using machine vision and a network of contactless IoT sensors that monitor the state of poultry, its reproductive and commodity characteristics. 3. 2035 -2050 Horizon of farm fields controlled by robot bots The launch by the largest state-owned high-tech corporations of mass production of robot bots engaged in monitoring fields 24/7 in terms of weed removal, assessment of the chemical composition of the soil. Separately, it should be noted the massive construction of vertical city firms engaged in the production of a narrow commodity segment of products and the greening of public spaces of cities.

Discussion
As part of the discussion section of the scientific research, the author identified the most important barriers to the innovative development of the agro-industrial complex and its digital reform and suggested possible ways to overcome them: 1. The dominance of state financing of projects in the field of digital reform -according to data for 2020/2021, state sources of financing accounted for 56% of all venture investments and 37.0% of all costs for innovation and acquisition of new technologies, which creates barriers to entry for small investors, and also "weeds out" a group of microprojects implemented by startup teams for private small farms.
A possible solution to this problem is the popularization in the media of the idea of private investors' participation in the development of the domestic agro-industrial complex, as well as the creation of economic incentives for long-term investment in agrotech projects (for example, exemption from income taxes, VAT on imported critical technologies). On the other hand, it is necessary to work out a mechanism for the development of a PPP model for the implementation of innovative projects on the basis of the largest agricultural holdings with the participation of technoparks, specialized universities, which should create a favorable ground for generating new ideas, employing young specialists and securing them locally.
2. Lack of educational programs in the field of cooperation of the agroindustry and ITaccording to data for 2020, there were 20 agrarian universities in the Russian Federation that train specialists with cross-disciplinary competencies in the field of agronomy and IT, which does not allow to fully close the market demand for such specialists. The solution to the problem may be the involvement of private educational platforms, schools, as well as corporate R&D centers for the development of IT competencies in educational processes. The information background is important, aimed at popularizing the cooperation of the ICT sector with the agro-industrial complex, as well as additional economic incentives for businesses to work in the agrotech segment (for example, admission to participate in government orders).
3. Insufficient dissemination of ideas and requirements of the responsible business policy, expressed in the adoption and observance of ESG principles -taking into account the export potential of the agro-industrial complex and its significant role in Russia's foreign trade, the incorporation of the ideas of the "green economy" by the regulator represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and industry associations (for example, the Union of Livestock Breeders of Russia, the Association of Producers of Planting Material, Rusprodsoyuz) is currently going quite pointwise and is almost entirely connected with the preservation of presence markets, i.e. it ends with the receipt of certificates and permits for export deliveries. At the same time, there is no systematic rethinking of business models of agriculture, and this limits the possibilities of transition to a new paradigm of agricultural management, based precisely on digital technologies and the most careful use of natural and biological assets.
4. Internal resistance of agribusiness management to deep reforms due to the fear of disclosure of trade secrets and the need for IT partners to access sensitive economic information -digital reform means a deep revision of the architecture of the business model of an agricultural enterprise, including increasing its transparency for external stakeholders, which contradicts management patterns of management and causes multiple fears of loss of control over the business.
This barrier to overcome requires considerable time and systematic work of the state regulator in terms of the phased introduction of mandatory public disclosure of information about the environmental impact of business on the environment, the introduction of an ESG rating system, which will serve as an additional incentive for initiating reforms aimed at constructive dialogue with the public in the context of current challenges and threats to Industry 4.0.