Creation of favorable entrepreneurial ecosystems for the development of youth business in agricultural regions of the South of Russia

Abstract

Youth entrepreneurship plays a key role in achieving the success of the economy of agrarian regions in modern conditions of rapid global transformations taking place under the influence of digitalization and pandemic restrictions. It plays a triune role: it allows to realize the professional aspirations of young people, their desire to work for themselves; to provide a solution to the social problem of employment growth in manpower-surplus agricultural regions, as well as to boost the innovative development of the economy of regions with agricultural specialization. The main purpose of the research is to identify opportunities, difficulties, and obstacles to youth business activity in the agro-industrial complex. The paper provides a more specific study of the interrelation between the characteristics of the business environment (its new realities and dangers) with positive and negative characteristics of young people who are creating their own business in the agro-industrial complex. The conclusions are based on a questionnaire study of the propensity for business of graduates of the largest university of the Stavropol Krai in 2021, which has a developed agricultural specialization. Pragmatic, professional, pessimistic and adventurous models of behavior of young people in the role of a business leader in agriculture are highlighted. The interrelation with the growth of potential for the implementation of innovative projects in the agro-industrial complex is shown. Then, based on the study of international best practices, a list of the main conditions that form an entrepreneurial ecosystem for the development of youth agribusiness is formed, among which a favorable legal and market environment for starting a business, as well as other factors, including social, financial and innovative state, public and entrepreneurial support and the level of quality of local governance, have a great influence.