AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEMS AS A MODERN MECHANISM OF INTEGRATION OF BUSINESS ENTITIES

Abstract

The article reveals the essence of agrarian entrepreneurship ecosystems as a modern mechanism of integration of business entities. The relevance of the study is due to the need to create modern foundations for the cooperation of agricultural producers with other subjects working in the agrarian economy or related to it. The purpose of the study is to systematize the key characteristics of various integration approaches to the cooperation of business entities in the agrarian sector of the economy and to determine the prospects for the development of the ecosystem approach in agrarian entrepreneurship as a modern mechanism of integration. Research methods were monographic, comparison, observation, systematization. In the process of research, scientific views on the essence of the agrarian entrepreneurship ecosystem were analyzed. The author's definition of this term is provided as an economic community of organisms of the business world that support and complement each other for effective economic development. A comparison of the ecosystem approach with other types of integration and cooperation approaches is made, namely with: agricultural clusters, cooperatives, agricultural holdings, business incubators and accelerators, innovation hubs, digital business platforms. Ecosystems have been found to have similar characteristics to these forms of integration, but ecosystems can provide more optimal cooperation and symbiosis between agrarian entrepreneurs and their partners. It has been established that ecosystems are more flexible compared to other types of integration, can unite participants from different industries and regions, consumers, government structures, various organizations, funds, etc., whose interests differ greatly. It has been proven that the ecosystem is not oriented towards the achievement of the "common" goal of the members of the association, but creates conditions for the fulfillment of their individual goals, creates conditions for interaction, sustainable and dynamic development. The practical significance of the research lies in the well-founded perspective directions of the development of ecosystems of agrarian entrepreneurship. The ecosystem approach in practice will allow: to activate the entrepreneurial initiative of large, medium and small enterprises; effectively introduce digital technologies into production processes; to optimize supply chains of agricultural raw materials and food; to develop agricultural finance; to achieve the standards of eco-farming and green energy; to create infrastructure for rural and green tourism.