ANALYSIS OF THE INTRODUCTION OF PRECISION FARMING ELEMENTS IN EAST KAZAKHSTAN: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Agriculture is one of the main sectors of the economy, which provides food security of the country. The development and implementation of modern geoinformation technologies in agricultural production is the basis for transition to precision farming. Application of elements of precision farming system in agricultural enterprises is impossible without high-quality information and technical support. The purpose of the study is to analyze the use of digital technologies in the farms of the Eastern region of Kazakhstan, identify key factors hindering their implementation and prospects for further development. The information basis for the study was the results of a questionnaire survey of 40.3% of representatives of agricultural enterprises in the Eastern region. The SWOT-analysis, reflecting internal and external factors and conditions for the development of precision farming, was made on the basis of the results. There are: a low level of development of information and communication infrastructure in rural areas (65%), the predominance of small agricultural producers (80 %), insufficiently effective tools of state support, insufficient influence of regional public authorities on the processes of system informatization of agricultural production, weak spread of digital technologies in agriculture. It is concluded that, despite the relevance and importance of digital technologies in modern agriculture, the digital transformation of agriculture is characterized by a significant lag behind the advanced sectors of the economy, so a unified approach, including a set of measures to stimulate agricultural enterprises to innovative development, government support, a set of differentiated mechanisms for testing and implementing IT technologies, adapted to the conditions of the intra-branch environment is needed.