ASSESSMENT OF THE DIGITAL MATURITY LEVEL OF AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES: METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES

Abstract

The article substantiates a methodological approach to the comprehensive assessment of the digital maturity level of agricultural enterprises, taking into account the specifics of agricultural production and modern requirements for the digital transformation of business. The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that the presence of individual digital tools does not yet indicate a systemic digital transformation of an enterprise, while existing digital maturity models do not fully reflect the specifics of the agricultural sector. It is proposed to view the digital maturity of an agricultural enterprise as a comprehensive level of development of technological, informational, organizational, personnel, and managerial capabilities for the systematic use of digital technologies and data to improve production efficiency, resource management, and market interaction, ensure resilience, and create long-term economic value. The main approaches to assessing digital maturity (technological, process-based, strategic, competence-based, analytical, and comprehensive) are systematized, and the expediency of applying the comprehensive approach is substantiated. Seven interconnected components of digital maturity are identified: digital strategy; digital infrastructure; digitalization of production and business processes; data management and analytics; personnel digital competencies; digitalization of marketing, sales, and logistics; and digital security and organizational culture. A system of 21 quantitative and qualitative indicators has been developed, along with a methodology for their normalization and differentiated weighting. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), expert surveys, or statistical methods are proposed for refining the weighting coefficients. An integral digital maturity index has been formulated, serving as the basis for a proposed five-level assessment scale: initial, fragmentary, structured, integrated, and innovative. The methodological approach is supplemented by an economic component that evaluates the effectiveness of digitalization through indicators of production-resource, operational-logistical, and financial-market efficiency, as well as a digital performance coefficient. Practical validation was conducted using the example of LLC «NVF 'Urozhai'»: the enterprise’s integral digital maturity index is 0.536, which corresponds to the structured level. The largest digital gaps were identified in the marketing-logistics and analytical components, on the basis of which priority areas for further digital transformation were determined. The proposed methodology can be used for the comparative assessment of agricultural enterprises, the identification of digital gaps, the justification of investment priorities, and the development of digital transformation roadmaps.