RESEARCH OF THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE OPERATION OF AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES AS A TOOL FOR ENSURING SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract

The article substantiates the theoretical and methodological principles of studying the environment of the functioning of agricultural enterprises as a tool for ensuring their stability in conditions of military, logistical, climatic and market shocks. It is proposed to consider the environment as a multi-level system (macro-, meso- and micro-level), where external and internal factors simultaneously act as stressors and adaptation resources, and the stability of the enterprise is interpreted as an integral result of its interaction with this environment over time. Based on a combination of systemic, environmental and resilient approaches, the structure of environmental factors is detailed according to PESTEL logic with the allocation of logistical and security blocks and the interpretation of the environment as a "field" of imposed risks and opportunities is proposed. The paper identifies five key components of the sustainability of an agricultural enterprise – production and technological, financial, market and logistics, institutional and organizational and socio-ecological, and shows their interrelation through a system of horizontal connections and risk management contours. A step-by-step algorithm for a comprehensive study of the environment has been developed, which includes: identification of the enterprise profile and system boundaries; structuring of environmental factors; formation of a matrix of indicators “environmental factors – components of sustainability”; normalization of indicators, their weighting and construction of partial indices. On this basis, an integrated model of sustainability assessment has been formed, in which the results of the environmental analysis are directly “built-in” into resilience diagnostics through two aggregated indicators – the environmental pressure index (IST) and the enterprise resilience index (IRP). A map of positioning enterprises in the coordinates "environmental harshness - level of resilience" is proposed, which allows to identify typical situations (excessive resilience, critical risk, hidden vulnerability, etc.) and form differentiated management guidelines. The practical significance of the results lies in the possibility of using the methodology for segmenting agricultural enterprises, targeting state and international support instruments, substantiating diversification, cooperation, digital transformation strategies and developing risk management systems in the Ukrainian agricultural sector in conditions of war and post-war recovery.