Scientific Production Associations and Scientific Production Systems in the Agriculture of Siberia

On the example of Siberia, the article addresses the problems of organizing the introduction of scientific recommendations in agricultural production in the USSR in the 1980s. The failure of directive methods of introduction and the weak influence of agrarian science on the state of affairs in agricultural production were the reason for active searches for the most effective scientific and innovative forms. It was also considered necessary to bring the implementation process out of the influence of bureaucratic administrative and departmental structures. In the 1980s, scientific production associations, established on the basis of leading agrarian scientific research institutes, were widely spread in the Siberian region. The associations included scientific, engineering and production structures, which allowed accelerating development and bringing scientific recommendations to production to a new target level. Thanks to such recommendations, attempts were made to introduce intensive spring wheat cultivation technologies into a wide production practice in Siberia. However, the resistance of officials from agricultural agencies that focused on the gross quantitative indices of the branch's development, as well as the indifferent attitude to the science of agricultural practitioners, clearly revealed the limited possibilities of scientific production associations as implementation centers. It became obvious that, in order to have production workers use scientific recommendations, more flexible management decisions, more effective scientific and innovative structures based on mutual interest of scientists and production workers in achieving a high final result, were required. Such structures were scientific production systems. The “head organizations” in scientific production systems were agrarian research institutes, universities, experimental stations. Scientific institutions and agricultural enterprises that became parts of scientific production systems maintained economic independence, and their relations were built on a contract basis, on the mutual interests and economic benefits of the participants. Scientists considered scientific production associations and scientific production systems as effective scientific and innovative forms, through which it was possible to significantly increase the level of scientific support of production in a short time. However, according to the author, the remaining administrative restrictions and the growing destructive processes in the country did not allow taking advantage of these promising innovative structures.

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