Economic science/12. Agricultural economics

Artjuhov S.O.

European University, Kyiv

Agro-Innovative Development of Ukraine

In modern conditions the innovative factor plays a central role in the process of sustained development of socio-economic systems as a whole and its individual sectors, including agricultural.

Agriculturally oriented innovative solutions in the world currently focus primarily within areas directly related to sustainable development, primarily for conservation and improved utilization of resources.

In Ukraine, the innovation process in the agro-food complex is characterized by a significant limitation of the scope of innovative technologies with the predominance of resource-consuming patterns of production in agricultural practice; by insufficient development of directions intended to ensure sustainable development of the branch in accordance with global trends; the almost complete absence of biotechnological research in the agricultural sector; unformed holistic vision of the innovation process in the agricultural sector (with no defined goals, targets, components, and mechanisms of their cooperation within the framework of agricultural innovation system).

In Ukrainian agriculture the large-scale investments in R & D, technical and technological modernization of fixed capital is available only to a limited number of large and highly profitable agricultural holdings. To bulk of farmers the innovative methods and tools of management are little-known and almost inaccessible.

Such areas as preservation and restoration of natural resources, energy conservation, using of crop varieties with desired properties, first and foremost, drought-resistant are very relevant for Ukraine, but far from solving.

As to resource conservation – recently such solutions became more active (especially in the sphere of processing of agricultural products, where, for example, almost all enterprises of oil and fat subcomplex switched to using sunflower husk pellets instead of gas and fuel oil). But the scale of this process is insufficient in the whole country and on the farms – such examples are rare.

If to speak about ecologically oriented agriculture, in Ukraine the most widespread is organic production, technologies of minimum and zero tillage (Mini-till, No-till) and analogues of precision agriculture.

The issue of using the biotechnology in breeding of crops and animals is highly relevant now. Ukraine had taken a very unproductive position in using of GM seeds and consumption of agricultural products, which includes the GM components. On the one hand, officially, none of GMOs are registered in the country, making it impossible for the legalization of the responsive products on the domestic market and the implementation of its control. On the other hand, such products are not only long and widely imported, but also grown by Ukrainian producers, besides in conditions of complete lack of control over these processes.

Summarizing, we can conclude that the innovative areas of agro-food activities aimed at sustainable development of the branch, has not yet distributed in Ukraine in the appropriate scale. The country is still a passive participant of the world process of agricultural biotechnology development, uncontrollably using imported solutions in the sphere of breeding primarily to increase crop yields and animal productivity. At the same time, government does not make an effort, on the one hand, for the development of national biotechnology research, and on the other – for the effective implementation of effective imported solutions in the areas of energy conservation and natural resources rehabilitation.

References:

1. Shubravska O.V., Prokopenko K.O. Rozvytok agrarnogo rynku Ukrainy v umovah dii innovacijnyh chynnykiv [Development of the Agrifood Market of Ukraine under the Influence of Innovation Factors] / Economy and Forcasting. – № 2. – 2011. – P. 118-129 [in Ukrainian].

2. Organic Federation of Ukraine, 2017. Organic in Ukraine. [online] Available at: < https://www.organic.com.ua/en/homepage/2010-01-26-13-42-29> [Accessed 20 March 2017].