Digitalization in Agriculture—A New Step in the Development of Agro-industrial Complex

Abstract

The article investigates the influence of the digital economy on the development of agriculture and describes the promising directions of production processes’ digitalization in the industry, taking into account goals and tasks of the program “Digital Economy of the Russian Federation,” since food products manufacture and providing the population with quality food products are always among the strategic tasks of national significance. The main problematic points are shortage of funding for digitalization projects of business processes in AIC organizations; shortage of personnel with digital expertise for employment in AIC and internal resistance of personnel to digital reforms. The innovative trend in AIC development is primarily needed to ensure the competitive ability of the Russian agricultural industry. Moreover, it is a real possibility to ensure better adaptation of the country’s AIC to the global economy. At present time digital technologies effectively evolve into the agricultural sector of the economy and become an integral part of its basic production processes. Agricultural enterprises are on the threshold of technological revolution. The reason for such dynamics is the extensive development of information technologies, such as precision farming, the Internet of things, cloud services, and ERP systems. Agriculture has faced the situation when there is no such thing as “willing or not”; it becomes apparent that digitalization and automation of production processes is the strategy to survive in a competitive market.