Transformation of State Agricultural Policy: Experience of Northern Regions of Kazakhstan

Global trends in agricultural development are associated with digitalization, the spread of resource-saving technologies, increasing climate risks, the transformation of food systems, and higher requirements for the effectiveness of state support. For Kazakhstan, accounting for these factors is particularly significant when forming the agricultural policy of the northern regions, which dominate the country’s agricultural production. Objective – to identify priority directions for modernizing the mechanism of state regulation of the republic’s agricultural sector under the influence of global trends, taking into account the experience of northern regions. Methods – systems research, content analysis of legal acts, structural, dynamic, and regional comparisons to determine vectors for improving the state strategy of the agro-industrial complex, substantiate institutional changes and priorities of public administration, calculate the share of gross agricultural production, volumes of subsidizing, and promotion of agricultural cooperation. Results – it was shown that the growth of total food output occurred independently of the dynamics of state incentive volumes. An increase in the number of cooperatives was established alongside a simultaneous reduction in their membership and production base. Institutional constraints reducing the efficiency of state financing and the operation of cooperative associations were outlined. The necessity of moving from assessing the size of state aid to evaluating its effectiveness is noted. Conclusions – further reform of the national agricultural reform policy should be built on the comprehensive use of targeted subsidy provision, revitalization of cooperative activity, and introduction of innovative technologies. Enhancing targeting, transparency, and optimal economic assistance should be viewed as a key benchmark. Such an approach will strengthen the competitiveness of the AIC, expand territorial value chains, and lead to sustainable economic progress in the northern regions of Kazakhstan.

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