Multidimensional Comparative Analysis of the Development of Agriculture in the Regions of the Northwestern Federal District

Abstract

The development of the agrarian sector in the conditions of the Northern Nonchernozem belt of Russia (the Nonblack Soil Zone) provides for food security at the level of the regions. Diagnostics of agriculture at a regional level taking into account an investment component allows identifying the vectors of its development with the consideration of the complex of the factors.The purpose of the research – the working-out and practical approval of the methodology of a multidimensional comparative analysis of the development of agriculture through the example of the territorial subjects of the Northwestern Federal district.Materials and methods. The research is based on the study of earlier published academic papers of the scientists in the area of the appliance of the statistical methods by the evaluation of the dynamics of the development of the regions and diagnostics of the condition of the agrarian sector. The use of regulatory legal acts of the industry development and data provided by Rosstat (Federal State Statistics Service) insured the objectivity of the conducted calculations. The use of the classical statistical methods, including the multidimensional comparative analysis, provided for the systematic approach to the evaluation of the development of agriculture at the regional level.Results. The developed methodology of a complex comparative evaluation of the regions proposes the multidimensional comparison of indexes characterizing each object submitted in a form of the system of indexes divided into problem sections. As the result of algorithm realization and a calculation ordering specified by the methodology for each region, an integrated index of the complex comparative evaluation of the development of the sector of agriculture was received in comparison with the other regions of the Northwestern Federal District. The received comparative evaluation on problem sections and subsections of indexes and integrated across their whole system serves as a basis for forming-up of ratings of the compared regions for defining their weak and strong points in the development of the studied sector. The methods of the analysis includes norm setting of each index on an aggregate basis of the compared regions, calculation of specific comparative evaluations for each one in a matrix form, creating a midline evaluation table, based on the calculation of the sum of their values throughout the system of analyzed indexes of the condition and development of agriculture for each region. The generalization of the evaluation result is realized by the summation of earlier calculated indexes. An integral estimation of the regions is based on bringing the obtained generalized comparative evaluations to a non-negative form and the percentage expression of their values. The analysis of the specific comparative evaluations of each problem section allows determining the impact of the factor corresponding to this section in creation of the value of an integrated evaluation, therefore estimating the problematic sides of the development of the agricultural sector in comparative evaluation with the situation existing in other regions.Conclusion. The diagnostics of the development of agriculture based on the suggested methodology allows defining the key factors of the implementation of the development strategy of the sector for making reasonable managerial decisions.