Managing technological support for national food security based on a typology of regions

Aim. The work aimed to develop a scientifically based, differentiated approach to regulating technological development processes in Russia’s agro-industrial complex (AIC), taking into account the classification of regions based on their role in the development and use of advanced production technologies (APT) to ensure national food security.
Objectives. The work seeks to verify the hypothesis of the structural heterogeneity of Russian regions, manifested in the division between technology-developing regions and technology-using regions; to conduct a cluster analysis and identify typological groups of regions based on a set of indicators, such as the activity of APT use, level of development, investment attractiveness, and agricultural efficiency; to formulate recommendations for stimulating the development and implementation of technologies, as well as for constructing regional cooperation to achieve the goals of AIC technological independence.
Methods. The methodology is based on a cluster analysis conducted to classify the Russian regions into groups based on their role in technological support of food security. A set of indicators, based on Rosstat data, was applied. This set of indicators was classified into three groups, namely technological activity (the number of advanced technologies developed and used for the AIC), the level of agricultural development (the share of agriculture in the region’s Gross Regional Product and the share of people employed in agriculture), and the investment attractiveness and efficiency of agriculture (the share of investments in fixed capital of the field, the proportion of highly productive jobs in agriculture, and the profitability of the products sold in the industry).
Results. A tool was developed for classifying regions based on their role in creating the technological foundation for food security. Four clusters were identified, each characterized by a specific combination of technological potential and level of agricultural development. This typology was the basis for developing differentiated recommendations for each group of regions.
Conclusions. Russian regions are classified into “developers” (research centers of the country) and “users” (agricultural regions) of agro-industrial technologies. A differentiated approach to developing incentives for regions to achieve technological independence in the food sector involves classifying entities based on their technology use activity and the level of development of agriculture as a key sector for achieving national food security goals. Regions leading in technology development and implementation function as drivers of technological transformation and hubs for cooperation. Regions with high agricultural potential require intensified technology development and implementation processes through local research centers. Regions with low technology adoption require incentives and targeted support for their implementation. Agricultural regions with uneven levels of technology adoption activity are encouraged to adopt the experience of successful regions and replicate best practices. The primary recommendation is to establish cooperation between developer and user regions through technology platforms and specialized technology implementation centers. The resulting tools for developing targeted regional policies allow for the most effective unlocking of the specific potential of each region type to achieve the national goal of technological ensuring of food security.

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