Digital transformation of small agribusiness through innovative technological solutions in the context of sustainable rural development
Keywords:
digital transformation, small agribusiness, innovative technological solutions, digital readiness, digital maturity, digital potential, service and consulting model, sustainable development, consulting, synergistic effectSynopsis
The study substantiates the need for digital transformation of small agribusiness in Ukraine as a means to implement innovative technological solutions and ensure sustainable rural development. The paper demonstrates that the digital transformation of small agribusiness goes beyond mere technological renewal and becomes systemic, creating preconditions for increased competitiveness, adaptive capacity, and sustainable development, particularly for enterprises operating in frontline and de-occupied territories.
The methodological basis of the study is an interdisciplinary approach that combines economic, social, and technological analysis. The case method, based on the example of cooperation between Remsintez LLC and small agribusiness entities – clients, questionnaire surveys, assessment of digital readiness, digital maturity, and digital potential of small agribusinesses, as well as quantitative and qualitative methods for summarizing and interpreting the results have been used.
The study found that the digital transformation of small agribusinesses has a multi-faceted effect: economic – through cost optimization, increased productivity, and investment attractiveness; social – through the development of digital skills, increased employment, and community sustainability; ecological – through the rationalization of resource use and the introduction of principles of sustainable and precision farming. It has been proven that the effectiveness of digital change increases significantly when service, consulting, and partnership models of interaction are used, providing a synergistic effect for small agribusinesses and resource suppliers.
The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive integration of the categories of digital readiness, digital maturity, and digital potential, along with an assessment of the synergistic economic, social, and environmental effects of the digital transformation of small agribusinesses in conditions of increased instability. The practical significance of the results lies in their potential for informing the development of digital strategies and service and consulting models aimed at ensuring sustainable rural development and the restoration of rural areas.
References
Cherniavskyi, B., Cherniavska, T., Rusnak, A., Nadtochii, I., Nadtochii, V., Nadtochyi, A.; Cherniavska, T. (Ed.) (2025). Smart economy in the conditions of post-war recovery of Ukraine: digital tools of remediation and their impact on regional development. Economy in the Era of Digital Transformation: Trends, Opportunities and Perspectives. Tallinn: Scientific Route OÜ, 168–196. https://doi.org/10.21303/978-9908-9706-0-8.ch7
Cherniavska, T., Tanklevska, N., Cherniavskyi, B.; Cherniavska, T. (Ed.) (2024). A decision-making system for managing the remediation of water resources in the Kherson region: agent-oriented modeling in the context of post-war economic recovery. Transformations of National Economies under Conditions of Instability. Tallinn: Scientific Route OÜ, 223–256. https://doi.org/10.21303/978-9916-9850-6-9.ch8
Bumann, J., Peter, M. (2019). Action fields of digital transformation – A review and comparative analysis of digital transformation maturity models and frameworks. Digitalisierung und andere Innovationsformen im Management. Edition Gesowip, 13–40.
Stępień, S., Smędzik-Ambroży, K., Polcyn, J., Kwiliński, A., Maican, I. (2023). Are small farms sustainable and technologically smart? Evidence from Poland, Romania, and Lithuania. Central European Economic Journal, 10 (57), 116–132. https://doi.org/10.2478/ceej-2023-0007
Kononenko, L., Nazarova, H., Karnaushenko, A., Bondar, I., Yurchenko, V. (2026). The role of artificial intelligence technology in shaping the information support of the management system for small agricultural enterprises. Proceedings of the 2025 12th international conference on mechanics, materials and manufacturing: ICMMM2025, 3449, 020134. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0298924
Becker, W., Schmid, O. (2020). The right digital strategy for your business: an empirical analysis of the design and implementation of digital strategies in SMEs and LSEs. Business Research, 13 (3), 985–1005. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40685-020-00124-y
Kyrylov, Y., Hranovska, V., Savchenko, V., Kononenko, L., Gai, O., Kononenko, S. (2024). Sustainable Rural Development in the Context of the Implementation of Digital Technologies and Nanotechnology in Education and Business. Nanotechnology Perceptions, 20 (S8), 297–323. https://doi.org/10.62441/nano-ntp.v20is8.25
Thordsen, T., Bick, M. (2023). A decade of digital maturity models: much ado about nothing? Information Systems and E-Business Management, 21 (4), 947–976. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-023-00656-w
Proença, D., Borbinha, J. (2016). Maturity Models for Information Systems – A State of the Art. Procedia Computer Science, 100, 1042–1049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2016.09.279
Haryanti, T., Rakhmawati, N. A., Subriadi, A. P. (2023). The Extended Digital Maturity Model. Big Data and Cognitive Computing, 7 (1), 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/bdcc7010017
Robledo-Ardila, C., Román-Calderón, J. P. (2021). Potential: in search for meaning, theory and avenues for future research a systematic review. Management Review Quarterly, 72 (1), 149–186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-020-00207-4
Vovchasta, N., Kan, O., Hlavatska, Y., Sovach, K., Makukhina, S. (2024). Digitalisation and its role in developing hard skills among university students in Ukraine. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2024spe070
Tanklevska, N., Cherniavska, T., Skrypnyk, S., Boiko, V., Karnaushenko, A. (2023). Financing of Ukrainian agricultural enterprises: Correlation-regressionan alysis. Scientific Horizons, 26 (8), 127–139. https://doi.org/10.48077/scihor8.2023.127
Petrenko, V., Karnaushenko, A., Melnykova, K.; Cherniavska, T. (Ed.) (2025). Sustainable development policy for post-conflict recovery in Ukraine: the role of environmental indicators in decision-making. Ecological systems modeling. Tallinn: Scientific Route OÜ, 96–116. https://doi.org/10.21303/978-9908-9706-6-0.ch5
Verhoef, P. C., Broekhuizen, T., Bart, Y., Bhattacharya, A., Qi Dong, J., Fabian, N., Haenlein, M. (2021). Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 122, 889–901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.022
Karnaushenko, A., Kononenko, L., Petrenko, V., Hlavatska, Y., Sysolina, N., Sysolina, I. et al.; Cherniavska, T. (Ed.) (2025). Shared use of transport as a component of the circular economy in relation to achieving sustainable development goals. Ecological systems modeling. Tallinn: Scientific Route OÜ, 147–167. https://doi.org/10.21303/978-9908-9706-6-0.ch7
Alloh, K., Abrham, J., Sanova, P., Čermák, M., Petrzilka, S., Schilla, F. (2024). Sustainability of shared economy in the agri-food, tourism, and hospitality industries. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1369089
Ukrstat. Available at: https://stat.gov.ua/
Remsintez LLC. Opendatabot. Available at: https://opendatabot.ua/c/31276162 Last accessed: 08.02.2026
Karnaushenko, A.; Cherniavska, T. (Ed.) (2025). Digital drivers of business model transformation in the circular economy paradigm. Economy in the era of digital transformation: trends, opportunities and perspectives. Tallinn: Scientific Route OÜ, 27–50. https://doi.org/10.21303/978-9908-9706-0-8.ch2
Cherniavska, T., Tanklevska, N., Cherniavskyi, B.; Cherniavska, T. (Ed.) (2024). A decision-making system for managing the remediation of water resources in the Kherson region: agent-oriented modeling in the context of post-war economic recovery. Transformations of National Economies under Conditions of Instability. Tallinn: Scientific Route OÜ, 223–256. https://doi.org/10.21303/978-9916-9850-6-9.ch8
Bumann, J., Peter, M. (2019). Action fields of digital transformation – A review and comparative analysis of digital transformation maturity models and frameworks. Digitalisierung und andere Innovationsformen im Management. Edition Gesowip, 13–40.
Stępień, S., Smędzik-Ambroży, K., Polcyn, J., Kwiliński, A., Maican, I. (2023). Are small farms sustainable and technologically smart? Evidence from Poland, Romania, and Lithuania. Central European Economic Journal, 10 (57), 116–132. https://doi.org/10.2478/ceej-2023-0007
Kononenko, L., Nazarova, H., Karnaushenko, A., Bondar, I., Yurchenko, V. (2026). The role of artificial intelligence technology in shaping the information support of the management system for small agricultural enterprises. Proceedings of the 2025 12th international conference on mechanics, materials and manufacturing: ICMMM2025, 3449, 020134. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0298924
Becker, W., Schmid, O. (2020). The right digital strategy for your business: an empirical analysis of the design and implementation of digital strategies in SMEs and LSEs. Business Research, 13 (3), 985–1005. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40685-020-00124-y
Kyrylov, Y., Hranovska, V., Savchenko, V., Kononenko, L., Gai, O., Kononenko, S. (2024). Sustainable Rural Development in the Context of the Implementation of Digital Technologies and Nanotechnology in Education and Business. Nanotechnology Perceptions, 20 (S8), 297–323. https://doi.org/10.62441/nano-ntp.v20is8.25
Thordsen, T., Bick, M. (2023). A decade of digital maturity models: much ado about nothing? Information Systems and E-Business Management, 21 (4), 947–976. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-023-00656-w
Proença, D., Borbinha, J. (2016). Maturity Models for Information Systems – A State of the Art. Procedia Computer Science, 100, 1042–1049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2016.09.279
Haryanti, T., Rakhmawati, N. A., Subriadi, A. P. (2023). The Extended Digital Maturity Model. Big Data and Cognitive Computing, 7 (1), 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/bdcc7010017
Robledo-Ardila, C., Román-Calderón, J. P. (2021). Potential: in search for meaning, theory and avenues for future research a systematic review. Management Review Quarterly, 72 (1), 149–186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-020-00207-4
Vovchasta, N., Kan, O., Hlavatska, Y., Sovach, K., Makukhina, S. (2024). Digitalisation and its role in developing hard skills among university students in Ukraine. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2024spe070
Tanklevska, N., Cherniavska, T., Skrypnyk, S., Boiko, V., Karnaushenko, A. (2023). Financing of Ukrainian agricultural enterprises: Correlation-regressionan alysis. Scientific Horizons, 26 (8), 127–139. https://doi.org/10.48077/scihor8.2023.127
Petrenko, V., Karnaushenko, A., Melnykova, K.; Cherniavska, T. (Ed.) (2025). Sustainable development policy for post-conflict recovery in Ukraine: the role of environmental indicators in decision-making. Ecological systems modeling. Tallinn: Scientific Route OÜ, 96–116. https://doi.org/10.21303/978-9908-9706-6-0.ch5
Verhoef, P. C., Broekhuizen, T., Bart, Y., Bhattacharya, A., Qi Dong, J., Fabian, N., Haenlein, M. (2021). Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 122, 889–901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.022
Karnaushenko, A., Kononenko, L., Petrenko, V., Hlavatska, Y., Sysolina, N., Sysolina, I. et al.; Cherniavska, T. (Ed.) (2025). Shared use of transport as a component of the circular economy in relation to achieving sustainable development goals. Ecological systems modeling. Tallinn: Scientific Route OÜ, 147–167. https://doi.org/10.21303/978-9908-9706-6-0.ch7
Alloh, K., Abrham, J., Sanova, P., Čermák, M., Petrzilka, S., Schilla, F. (2024). Sustainability of shared economy in the agri-food, tourism, and hospitality industries. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1369089
Ukrstat. Available at: https://stat.gov.ua/
Remsintez LLC. Opendatabot. Available at: https://opendatabot.ua/c/31276162 Last accessed: 08.02.2026
Karnaushenko, A.; Cherniavska, T. (Ed.) (2025). Digital drivers of business model transformation in the circular economy paradigm. Economy in the era of digital transformation: trends, opportunities and perspectives. Tallinn: Scientific Route OÜ, 27–50. https://doi.org/10.21303/978-9908-9706-0-8.ch2
Text Identifier of this Chapter
Chapter 2
Published
December 4, 2025
Copyright (c) 2026 Volodymyr Silchenko, Lesia Kononenko, Vira Savchenko, Alla Karnaushenko, Yuliia Hlavatska
How to Cite
Silchenko, V., Kononenko, L., Savchenko, V., Karnaushenko, A., & Hlavatska, Y. (2025). Digital transformation of small agribusiness through innovative technological solutions in the context of sustainable rural development. In P. Lykhovyd, V. Silchenko, L. Kononenko, V. Savchenko, A. Karnaushenko, Y. Hlavatska, H. Savelenko, N. Sysolina, I. Sysolina, K. Vasylkovska, O. Andriienko, V. Malakhovska, I. Androshchuk, O. Vasylkovskyi, S. Moroz, G. Karashchuk, & E. Kulidzhanov, In Press. Innovative technological solutions in agriculture. Scientific Route OÜ®. https://monograph.route.ee/rout/catalog/book/innovative_technological_solutions_in_agriculture/chapter/161
