Digital transformation and innovation in the agricultural sector: legal aspects of the relationship and legal features

Abstract

Problem setting. The article is devoted to the study of certain issues of correlation between the agrarian and legal categories “digital transformation of agrarian relations” and “innovation activity in the agrarian sector”, and to the disclosure of their legal features. Purpose of the research. The need to differentiate between the categories “digital transformation of agrarian relations” and “agro-innovation activity”, to study their interconnection and to distinguish their legal features is due to the growing relevance of digital technologies in the agrarian sector, the need to implement global sustainable development goals in the agrarian sector and to ensure further development of agrarian legal doctrine, and is aimed at further improvement of legal regulation of these relations. Analysis of recent researches and publications. Leading representatives of agrarian law emphasize that modern agrarian law and agrarian legislation have reached their maximum development on traditional methodological foundations and, as a result, innovative updating of the subject matter of agrarian law is of utmost relevance Article’s main body. At the doctrinal level, it is noted that innovation is not only a new product or service, but also a new technological process, a way of organizing production, changing the structure and creating new markets aimed at meeting the needs of a market segment and obtaining economic benefits. Innovations are systemic in nature, leading to changes at all levels of an agricultural enterprise, as successful implementation requires the interaction of all elements. Leading representatives of agrarian law emphasize that modern agrarian law and agrarian legislation have reached their maximum development on traditional methodological foundations and, as a result, innovative updating of the subject matter of agrarian law is of utmost relevance The need to differentiate between the categories “digital transformation of agrarian relations” and “agro-innovation activity”, to study their interconnection and to distinguish their legal features is due to the growing relevance of digital technologies in the agrarian sector, the need to implement global sustainable development goals in the agrarian sector and to ensure further development of agrarian legal doctrine, and is aimed at further improvement of legal regulation of these relations. The author establishes that legal regulation of relations in the field of implementation of agro-innovations is carried out on the basis of general provisions of legislation, but even under the legal regime of martial law, legislative support for the introduction of innovative technologies into the agro-industrial complex is considered to be one of the priority areas of the State agrarian policy. The article points out the following characteristic, specific features of agrarian innovations, such as a long process of implementation, mostly improvement, dependence on climatic conditions and natural zone, etc. These features distinguish agrarian innovations from innovations in other sectors of the economy. Conclusions and prospects for the development. The author has identified the links between the digital transformation of agricultural relations and innovations, and innovative activities in the agricultural sector, and as a result, the author’s own definition of “digital agro-innovations” is proposed. Particular attention is paid to information and technological agro-innovations as a separate type underlying the digital transformation of relations in the agricultural sector. It is concluded that there is a two-way interaction between digital transformation and innovation in agrarian relations, since the former is becoming a new basis for the functioning and development of the innovation sphere, and the development of innovations demonstrates an acceleration of the pace of development of digital transformation of agrarian relations. At the same time, the author of the article states that digital transformation is a generalized concept, unlike innovation and innovation activity, since the latter are the constituent components of digital transformation of agrarian legal relations which belong to the sub-branch of agro-innovation law in the system of the complex branch of modern agrarian law of Ukraine.