Key Areas of the Agricultural Science Development in Russia in the Context of Global Trends and Challenges

Abstract

The modern Russian agrifood industry is a steadily developing sector of the national economy. The production of a number of goods has reached historically high levels. Russia has a strong position in the export of agricultural raw material commodities, while the country remains dependent on imports from other countries. This chapter examines critical areas of scientific research in Russia that will create opportunities for increasing competitiveness in the transition of the world food systems from conventional agriculture to Agriculture 4.0. Science and technology-based innovations for transforming food systems in Russia include productivity growth through breeding technologies and improved genetics, in combination with technologies that will ensure optimal realization of this potential (feed additives, fertilizers, plant protection products, animal health, and other so-called “package” solutions). The introduction of digital technologies and cross-platform solutions in agriculture, to reduce the gaps in labor productivity, will increase overall productivity and reduce food losses. Diversification of food products includes priorities for high-margin segments of healthy, functional and personalized nutrition, and the deep processing of agricultural commodities. The paper explores closed farming systems (including “urban farming”) that are independent of external climatic and biological factors. Development of the agricultural waste recycling sector is a priority too. Russia lags behind its competitors in terms of the scientific quality of its production. This is due to a lack of efficiency in the financing of agricultural science, as well as an imbalance within its structure. An increasingly acute problem of the transition of Russian food systems to the innovative path is the reduction of human resources. This trend is typical both in the scientific sector, where it is expressed in a decrease in the number of researchers and an aging staff (which threatens the continuity in the established scientific schools and the viability of research teams) and in agriculture as a whole.

1 Introduction

Current world food systems are entering a fundamentally new stage of technological development, which is called Agriculture 4.0 and is based on the introduction of “smart” solutions (robotics, “precision” agriculture, IoT (Internet of Things)), biotechnologies and alternative sources of raw materials. Elaboration of the scientific potential and introduction of innovative solutions are becoming critical to ensuring the competitiveness and further progressive development of the Russian agrifood sector, whereby the next decade of the Russian agrifood sector will be determined by the impact of the following trends:

• the transition to a new technological mode: in the future, the key factor in food production will be technologies that increase productivity and prevent losses;

• changes in value chains: the value added will increasingly be concentrated in knowledge-intensive sectors (genetics and breeding, the IT (Information technology) sector, industrial design and engineering);

• the growing influence of large integrator companies, which are the engines of introduction for innovative technologies;

• the shift in demand from traditional foods to products corresponding to the values of new generations, who prefer ready-to-eat food and products from improved and predetermined properties, and who also place increasing importance not only on the products’ “benefits and safety,” but also on their origin, the sustainability of their technologies and the ethics of their production;

• factors pointing to strengthened sustainability and product safety: strengthening and increasing the number of relevant standards and certification systems;

• transition to the knowledge economy: the process of digital transformation and growing robotization will radically change the employment structure.

In parallel with these trends, there are a number of challenges in the Russian agrifood sector, a timely response to which will allow domestic producers to enter new markets for products and technologies. Among the economic challenges, we can highlight the growing demand for food against the background of a slowdown in production growth with a simultaneous reduction in resources, and the concentration of the population in large cities, which leads to an aggravation of the problem of furnishing urbanized areas with an uninterrupted supply of food, as well as that of large-scale food waste and loss.

Despite the high level of availability of the country’s basic resources (fertile soils, fresh water) and the average low negative effects of global warming, the development of the Russian agrifood sector is increasingly influenced by natural and climatic challenges and the subsequent decline in the agro-climatic potential of the planet; the reduction of natural breeds and variety diversity in agriculture; and the degradation of agricultural land, which threatens the sustainable development of the rural sector. All future areas of scientific research with the potential to have a key impact on the sustainable growth of the national agrifood sector should be based on needs related to climate change.¹

One of the technological challenges involves spreading the principles of sustainable agrifood production and food consumption.

Agrifood production directly interacts with the environment, which creates environmental challenges including the loss of biological productivity of the world’s oceans and NNN (non-legal, non-regulated, and non-reported (NNN)) fishing, the growth of animal waste, and the destruction of ecosystems as a result of the use of chemical plant protection products.

It is important to consider the value challenges in modern Russia, among which we can highlight the growing popularity of a healthy lifestyle and personalized diets, public resistance to the technologies of genetic engineering, modification and cloning, and the strengthening of public activity against cruelty to animals. Furthermore, social challenges such as the stratification of the population in terms of income and access to healthy food products and the lag in development between the rural areas and cities have a significant impact on the development of the Russian agrifood sector. The answer to these challenges should be the creation and implementation of innovative technologies in production. Thus, we can identify the following priority areas for the development of agricultural science in Russia in the context of the national refraction of global trends and challenges.

2 Biotechnologies

The high relevance of biotechnology in the modern scientific and technological landscape of the Russian agrifood sector is determined by its ability to respond to the global challenges of our time, especially ensuring food security and addressing environmental problems. In regard to the problems of man-made environmental pollution, soil degradation, and the growing number of chronic diseases of the country’s population caused by the unfavorable environmental situation, the importance of biotechnologies continues to increase.

The biotechnology researches meet all of the requirements of Russia’s sustainable development in terms of ensuring food security, obtaining high-quality, environmentally friendly products, processing agricultural waste, and restoring soil fertility. The driver of the development of biotechnologies in agriculture is the increasingly growing trends of Russian citizens maintaining a healthy lifestyle, seeking responsible consumption and caring for the environment.

Currently, in Russia, the practice of processing waste into bio-products has become most widespread in the production of solid biofuels (waste from crop production and woodworking) and feed protein (waste from pulp, paper and alcohol production, such as brewing and grain processing).

In addition, biotechnologies play an important role in the prevention and treatment of infectious animal diseases. Without biotech, Russian agrifood production will continue to be highly cost-ineffective and will lose out in regard to the competitiveness of its products in world markets. Currently, the Russian market of biotechnologies, in comparison to the European markets, is in a nascent state, and its largest segments are biotechnological feed additives, immunobiological preparations and biologics for crop production (the fastest growing segment). At the same time, the dependence on imports in this market is very high – 83%. Therefore, it is necessary to develop our own agrobiotechnologies in the following key areas:

• 2.1. Technologies for breeding plant varieties that are resistant to pests and adverse environmental factors. For example, selection methods based on the use of molecular markers, new-generation varieties, and hybrids that are resistant to drought, diseases, herbicides, and insect pests (Springer and Schmitz 2017).

• 2.2. Biological protection products, microbiological fertilizers and plant growth regulators that reduce the residues of the active substance in the final product, reduce the environmental burden on ecosystems and ensure the long-term competitiveness of the sector.

• 2.3. Biological products and feed additives in livestock. Development of the production of feed protein and functional additives to improve feed quality and increase productivity in livestock, as well as technologies that reduce the use of feed antibiotics.

• 2.4. Technologies for processing animal waste. With the help of bacteria, the processing of organic waste can be significantly sped up, reducing both the cost of creating organic fertilizers and the environmental damage from agricultural production. Microbiological conversion allows us to process various waste products into feed protein with improved qualities.

• 2.5. Biological products for livestock. Creation of immunobiological medicines for veterinary use employing local strains of microorganisms that have been isolated in Russia.

• 2.6. Technologies of soil bioremediation and biofertilization. The introduction of bacteria into the soil can significantly improve its quality and productivity.

• 2.7. Technologies for the deep processing of feedstock used in the production of bioplastics.

3 Precision Agriculture

Russia’s significant lag behind the leading countries in terms of productivity and relatively high volatility (primarily in crop production), as well as the need to ensure the global competitiveness of the Russian agrifood sector and reduce food losses, requires the activation of a transition to a new technological stage, including the introduction of “smart” technologies that make agriculture more accurate and controlled and that are focused on making decisions based on the needs of individual animals or plants.

In crop production, the use of precision farming technologies allows us to optimize the consumption of fertilizers and plant protection products and increase crop yields. In livestock, RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technologies make it possible to obtain the maximum amount of information about the livestock population, including its accounting, movement, feeding, vaccination, etc. (Ustundag and Cevikcan 2018). Given the limited resources available, the use of digital technologies is essential to improving the efficiency of agrifood production. The main areas of digitalization of the Russian agrifood sector include:

• 3.1. Development of precision farming technologies based on IoT (Internet of Things). Obtaining real-time data on plants, animals, machinery, soil, and air allows us to make more informed decisions about production (Marchiol 2018).

• 3.2. Technologies of digital systems that operate with “big data” and allow us to make more informed decisions that take into account weather forecasts, the probability of diseases, the state of soils and plants, yield estimates, and many other factors within a single model. They also allow us to design agricultural systems based on the principles of biologization, resource conservation, and environmental and sanitary-epidemiological safety.

• 3.3. Technologies of automated agricultural machinery and integrated management systems based on a combination of sensor (IoT) technologies, telematics, robotics and artificial intelligence.

4 Selection and Genetics in Crop Production and Livestock

The recent discoveries in the field of genome research and the introduction of post-genomic technologies are already radically changing the face of world agriculture and creating new factors of competitiveness. Russia lags behind in the field of both research and implementation of modern technologies of genetics and breeding, which determines a high degree of dependence on foreign genetic material, which risks reducing the global competitiveness of the Russian agricultural sector. Russia’s import dependence on corn seeds reached 62%, 73% for sunflower, and 98% for sugar beet. Import dependence on breeding material of cattle and poultry is also high. When creating new genetic lines of meat breeds, only imported breeding genetic material is used.

The strengthening of selection and genetic research in these industries is one of the areas of highest priority for their development. The main topics of research work in this field include:

• 4.1. Creation of databases of genetic resources that form the basis of knowledge about hereditary variability and are a reference for the identification of new mutations and a source of valuable source material for breeding.

• 4.2. Development and implementation of genomic assessment tools and creation of Russian varieties and hybrids, as well as pure lines of highly productive animal breeds that correspond to the real economic and agro-climatic conditions of the agrifood sector.

• 4.3. Methods of accelerated selection (marker-oriented, microclonal reproduction in vitro), which significantly reduce the time of breeding of new varieties and hybrids of plants.

• 4.4. Technologies for breeding plant varieties that are resistant to pests and adverse environmental factors. With the help of biotechnological innovations, for example, selection methods based on the use of molecular markers, new-generation varieties and hybrids are created that are resistant to drought, diseases, herbicides, and insect pests.

5 Food Processing Technologies

Popularization of healthy food has become one of the strategic national tasks of Russia. In the period from 2010 to 2018, the number of people suffering from obesity in Russia almost doubled, exceeding two million people (1.4% of the population). At the same time, the highest specific rate of obesity within the population is observed in the cohorts of children (0–14 years) and adolescents (15–17 years): 375 and 763 per 100 thousand, respectively (for comparison, it is 304 per 100 thousand for the entire population). In the period from 2010 to 2020, the number of patients diagnosed with diabetes increased by 61% to 5.1 million people. 63% of deaths in Russia are associated with diseases arising from poor nutrition.

At the same time, the transition to a healthy diet in Russia is favored by the current socio-demographic structure, which is marked by a high level of urbanization (up to 75%), the share of the educated population (over 60% have a tertiary education), and the level of income in the largest urban agglomerations comparable to most countries in Eastern Europe. But the results of sociological research also show a rapidly growing interest of Russian consumers in healthy food in a significant proportion of the rest of the population, which is already guided by the relevant principles in the choice of products.

The following areas of scientific research are critical from the point of view of further development of food systems in Russia:

• 5.1. Biotechnologies for the production of food additives and enzyme products based on methods of microbial synthesis, including the use of mutant and genetically modified microorganisms; the creation of innovative domestic probiotics and starter cultures for the food industry; medical and biological studies of their safety (Ordovas et al. 2018).

• 5.2. Creation of mass consumption products enriched with essential nutrients and functional and specialized (therapeutic and preventive) food products that allow for correcting violations of the nutritional status, preventing the occurrence of certain diseases, promoting the growth and development of children, and slowing down the aging of the body.

• 5.3. New sources of protein derived from the biomass of microorganisms based on biotechnologies that allow for the conversion of low-value waste into protein products and components with high added value. Scientific support for a comprehensive sanitary and epidemiological assessment of the quality and safety of sources of their production, as well as assessment of the impact of these products and secondary products of their processing on the human environment, including microbiological and toxicological-hygienic studies.

• 5.4. Development of food engineering to create a new generation of probiotic products designed to maintain and preserve the normal human microbiota, so as to promote the formation of a healthy food market in Russia.

• 5.5. Technologies for the production of synthetic food products with high protein value from non-traditional natural food raw materials. Development of methods for the deep processing of raw materials of plant and animal origin, based on microbial synthesis and biocatalysis. Implementation of biotechnological methods for low-waste and resource-saving production, such as the processing of food industry waste and the recycling of food packaging, including non-food products.

• 5.6. Biotechnologies for the establishment of organic agriculture and the obtainment of organic food products, taking into consideration the requirements and restrictions imposed on the use of fertilizers, plant protection products, and veterinary drugs.

A separate segment of the agrifood sector in Russia is the fishing industry. Russia has rich aquatic biological resources and is one of the world leaders in terms of fish and seafood exports. The share of exports from the volume of production in physical terms over the past five years has varied from 38.9% to 41.0%. Fish products, as a carrier of animal protein with a unique set of amino acids, fatty acids and vitamins not found in such an amount and variety in cereals, meat or other products, take a leading place in ensuring a balanced and healthy diet. Marine pharmacology and biotechnological methods of aquaculture are the most promising areas of research and development in this industry for Russia.

6 Aquaculture

The reduction of fish stocks and their species diversity due to overfishing and water pollution are problems that, in the near future, may become a threat to food security, both for Russia and for many other countries of the world (Barang et al. 2014). Therefore, the main priority of national legislation in this area has become the preservation of aquatic biological resources before their use – the precautionary principle surrounding the use of aquatic biological resources and the assignment of a quota of biological water resources to enterprises. The Russian fishing industry has received guarantees of the initial production resource. Therefore, to preserve the aquatic biological resources of our country, it is necessary to develop aquaculture in the following areas:

• 6.1. Development of recycled aquaculture (fish farming in completely closed, controlled conditions). Water recycling in aquaculture farms can ensure high and stable production of aquaculture products with a lower risk of disease. At the same time, modern methods of recycling significantly reduce the adverse impact on the environment compared to traditional methods of fish farming.

• 6.2. Creation of specialized feed for aquaculture, with high levels of protein, lipids, metabolic energy and vitamins, that is also resistant in aggressive aquatic environments.

7 Methods for Reducing Food Waste and Loss

Reducing food waste and loss plays an important role in the development of sustainable food systems around the world. However, Russia has not yet formed a general conceptual view of this problem; the dangers associated with food waste and loss, which go beyond environmental pollution or contamination, are not on the agenda. There is no cooperation among the nation’s government, science and business sectors regarding food waste and loss, which is why there have been practically no scientific developments in this direction; existing solutions or technologies for reducing food waste and loss are local, small in scale, and not supported by the government or society as a whole (Global Food Losses and Food Waste 2011).

In addition, there are no reliable statistics on the volume of food waste and loss in Russia. There is a problem of data discrepancy: according to official statistics, the volume of food waste and loss in Russia is 0.6% of food production on average; the expert community considers these indicators to be underestimated by tenfold and points out that, in Russia as a whole, the situation regarding food waste and loss is no better than the global average, which is 30–40% of total production.

Unfortunately, in Russia, this problem is poorly studied and the focus is mainly on the disposal of food waste, rather than ways to reduce loss and waste in the process of production, processing and transportation. In this regard, it is necessary to conduct research in the following areas:

• 7.1. Development of methods for calculating food waste and loss throughout the entire food supply chain.

• 7.2. A survey of the food supply chains themselves to identify and classify the main causes of food waste and loss at all stages, as well as to develop methods for reducing them.

• 7.3. Development of innovative methods for storing fruit products in a controlled atmosphere.

• 7.4. Study of the use of methods of ionizing radiation treatment of agricultural raw materials to improve their shelf life and quality.

In addition, it is necessary to identify barriers to the introduction of advanced technologies, including restrictions present in the regulatory framework, as well as issues of costs and payback for the use of these technologies within a particular enterprise.

8 Closed Farming Systems

Russia has huge resources: our country accounts for about 10% of the global arable land fund, and it is one of the world leaders in terms of fresh water reserves. However, these resources are distributed across the country: a significant part of the agricultural area has low fertility and is located in the zone of risky farming. In turn, the main reserves of fresh water are concentrated in the northern part of the country, which is not suitable for agricultural development, while the southern agricultural regions face the threat of a shortage of water for irrigation.

In addition, Russia is a country with a high level of urbanization (up to 75%), while almost 25% of Russians live in cities with a population of more than one million people. The largest urban agglomerations are located at a considerable distance from the key centers of agricultural production and are increasingly competing with local centers for land and water resources (World Urbanization Prospects 2019). Another 2.4 million people live in the Arctic zone, which is dependent on external food supplies. Providing residents of megacities and remote regions with food products now requires the involvement of significant logistics resources, creates an additional environmental burden, and makes a significant contribution to the volume of food losses.

The transition to agricultural production in closed systems, independent of external agro-climatic factors, is also one of the most relevant and promising directions for the development of agricultural science in the context of Russia’s Arctic ambitions and the implementation of long-term space programs.

• 8.1. Vertical farms – creation and improvement of crop production technologies in vertically arranged automated complexes with artificial lighting, heating and air conditioning, closed water circulation and sterile air. Vertical farm technologies will increase the availability of high-quality fresh produce in cities and remote areas and eliminate the seasonal factor, as well as significantly reduce the environmental burden and ensure local food security.

• 8.2. Non-ground crop production – hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics, as well as advanced technologies derived from them (including bioponics and hyponics). Technologies of non-ground crop production allow us to (a) complete the transition of vertical farms to closed systems that do not use traditional agricultural resources; (b) level the weight and size restrictions so that products can be delivered to autonomous objects: ships, Arctic stations, spacecraft, etc.

• 8.3. Robotic “smart” greenhouses – technologies for integrated monitoring and management of microclimate, lighting, fertigation, and plant protection. Also, automation of processes and manipulations with plants. Technologies allow us to: (a) increase productivity and reduce the costs associated with the use of manual labor; (b) improve the quality of decision-making; (c) increase the level of availability of products for end users.

• 8.4. Construction of specialized greenhouse complexes adapted to permafrost conditions to provide fresh food to the population of the Far North of Russia.

9 Deep Processing of Agricultural and Fishery Feedstock

To increase the sustainability of the Russian agrifood sector, it is very important to increase the depth of processing of agricultural feedstock, for which there is still a significant gap with global agricultural producers.

The need for the development of deep processing of grain is caused by record harvests of grain crops in Russia, which, in recent years, have led to production volumes that are increasing faster than their consumption in related industries. Every year, about 40% of the country’s grain reserves remain unused, which requires expanding the areas of its domestic use, strengthening the potential opportunities for entering international markets.

In addition, the intensive development of livestock in Russia in recent years has provided a significant increase in demand for feed amino acids, which the domestic deep processing industry is not able to meet.

On the scale of the world market of fish and other products from aquatic biological resources, the fisheries complex retains its role as one of the key suppliers of feedstock of the most valuable and popular types of aquatic biological resources. The main buyers of domestic fish and other products from aquatic biological resources are processing enterprises located in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and the European Union. In some cases, the products produced for final consumption are delivered to the consumer without any indication of the Russian origin of the fish. Thus, Russian suppliers of fish products are deprived of competitive influence on the final sales price and do not participate in the formation of market demand, and also do not receive a significant part of the added value in terms of deep processing, distribution and marketing of fish and other products from aquatic biological resources. Therefore, within the framework of the deep processing of fishery feedstock, the main task is to introduce modern biotechnological methods into the practice of fish-processing enterprises that can provide cost-effective production of a wide range of food ingredients and valuable food products with high added value from hydrobionts. The production of fish meal and fat, fish feed and fish oil deep processing products has the highest growth rates in the global fish industry, due to the need to meet the growing mass demand for products containing protein.

The priorities in research and development in this industry for Russia are:

• 9.1. Deep processing of agricultural feedstock for the production of feed amino acids, glucose and glucose-fructose syrups, and starch.

• 9.2. Deep processing of low-value products from the processing of hydrobionts of the fishing industry into products with a high content of free amino acids and lower peptides that have good functional and nutritional properties for use in medicine, microbiology, and the food and feed industry. Extraction of fish oil from secondary feedstock to create functional food products based on it.

The implementation of these directions will allow for the transition from feedstock export-oriented production to the production of products with a deep degree of processing for both domestic consumption and export.

10 Sustainable Development of Agricultural Production and Rural Areas

In order to prevent the destructive consequences of the aggressive intensification of agricultural production in Russia, it is necessary now to translate it into the principles of sustainable development, which are based on the optimal use of limited natural resources, the creation of a “green” economy and the preservation of vast rural areas of our country (Dietz et al. 2018).

To minimize the negative impact of aggressive intensification on the environment, it is necessary to develop research and development in the following areas:

• 10.1. Technologies of organic agriculture, including methods with minimal impact on the soil, mechanical and biological weed control, and the use of sideral fertilizers and biological products, ensuring a closed cycle of agricultural production “crop production-livestock-crop production.”

• 10.2. Integrated plant protection, safe for the environment and reducing harm to the human organism. Its goal is to maintain a balance between the economic efficiency of production and the environment.

• 10.3. Soil protection and resource-saving agriculture, which is based on the principles of zero tillage and diversification of crop rotation through various types of crops.

• 10.4. Biological reclamation technologies for increasing soil fertility and preventing water and wind erosion with the help of grass and woody vegetation.

• 10.5. Development of bioremediation – a complex of methods for cleaning water, soil and the atmosphere using the metabolic potential of biological objects.

• 10.6. Development of models for restoring biodiversity and soil productivity.

• 10.7. Technologies for an adaptive landscape system of agriculture.

11 Veterinary and Phytosanitary Control

In the context of globalization and the expansion of commodity turnover between Russia and other countries, the system of veterinary and phytosanitary control, the purpose of which is to prevent harmful organisms from entering the country, is becoming increasingly important. The problem is aggravated by the negative effect of climate change, against which pests and pathogens of plants and animals are beginning to spread more and more actively beyond their natural habitats (Clapper 2011). The increased risks of epizootic and epiphytotic situations for Russia are associated with the vast territories located in the European and Asian parts of the continent.

The costs of combating them and the resulting food losses can cause significant harm to Russian agriculture and public well-being.

In Russia, about 40 million cases of infectious diseases are registered annually among farm animals, while economic losses from diseases amount to 30%, and the amount of damage is more than $200 million. The following measures need to be adopted:

• 11.1. Blockchain technologies for tracking the entire path of food production, processing and sale.

• 11.2. Creation of phytosanitary and veterinary databases and digital platforms for analyzing and predicting the spread of animal and plant diseases.

• 11.3. Development of systems for the monitoring, diagnosis and prevention of plant and animal diseases.

12 Technologies of the Logging Industry

The technologies of the logging industry are extremely important for Russia, which has more than 20% of the world’s forest reserve. The forest complex occupies an important place in the country’s economy, due to the performance of important environmental protection and environmental-forming functions. The forest is one of the most valuable renewable natural resources. Such global significance of the Russian forest multiplies the country’s responsibility for its conservation and reproduction, especially since it is an ecological framework for our entire planet, a colossal resource for the economy, for economic growth, and for improving the well-being and health of our citizens. To do this, it is necessary to develop research and development aimed at improving the efficiency of forest plantation management, preserving and reproducing forest genetic resources, and protecting forests from various adverse factors, such as with the following:

• 12.1. Technologies for the protection of forests from fires, pests, diseases and other adverse factors. The use of biological means of protection will help to contain the spread of new dangerous pests and phytopathogens of phytophages in the forests, which negatively affect fire safety there.

• 12.2. Technologies for predicting the spread and dynamics of the most dangerous pest foci using remote monitoring systems.

• 12.3. Selection of the main forest-forming species, aimed at accelerating growth, breeding new hybrids and varieties, creating biotechnological forms of trees with specified characteristics, and fostering micro-planar reproduction of genetically valuable tree forms.

• 12.4. Technologies for processing larch and dry wood, technologies for multi-layer and alternative molding in the production of paper and cardboard, research into the properties of wood-based materials for their use in building, and development and introduction of new wood-based materials through the deep chemical and mechanical processing of feedstock.

The only way to preserve and increase forest wealth is through the sustainable management of forests, preserving their biological diversity, productivity, resilience, viability, and ability to perform important environmental, economic, and social functions at the local, national, and global levels in the present and future.

13 Conclusions

The range of key areas for the development of agricultural science in Russia is very wide and varied, due to the presence of huge potential, both natural and climatic, and because of the human capital of our country. The main goal of all presented research areas will be to provide the population of Russia and the whole world with high-quality food products.

We should look and think one-step ahead to avoid missing the unique “windows of opportunity” for the industry that arise when technological patterns change.

It is necessary to move beyond the idea of agriculture as a very conservative industry of traditional products and technologies, to overcome isolationism in the field of scientific and technological development. The current tasks of catching up in terms of development and strengthening food security should evolve into a higher-order goal: the transition to innovative development, in which we build an effective system for generating new original ideas and supporting their transformation into specific solutions, products and technologies. The scientific and technological development of Russia’s agrifood sector in the future will be based on sustainability combined with innovations. The economic, social and environmental efficiency of agribusiness is possible only with the introduction of innovative technologies.