Innovation Activity of Agricultural Business: Stimulation under Martial Law Conditions

Abstract

Under conditions of significant risks affecting the agricultural sector, innovative activity of agricultural enterprises becomes especially relevant as a key instrument for ensuring their competitiveness, adaptability, and resilience to crisis phenomena. The purpose of the study is the theoretical substantiation and development of practical recommendations for stimulating the innovative activity of agricultural enterprises under martial law conditions. The article establishes that, despite the decline in Ukraine’s position in the Global Innovation Index (GII), the stability of the overall innovation index indicates a transition of agribusiness to a model of “mobilization innovation.” It is determined that “Resource Intensity and Efficiency” and “Natural Capital” are the main drivers of survival in the agricultural sector, while critically low indicators of intellectual capital and the quality of public governance represent the key systemic barriers to innovative development. The authors’ original scientific contribution is the development of a proprietary “Diagnosis of the Impact of Non-Financial Factors on the Innovation Activity of the Agricultural Sector,” which systematizes five key factors with a quantitative assessment of their impact. The study proves the insufficient effectiveness of existing mechanisms of state support. The feasibility of adapting the Israeli model of co-financing high-risk projects through a network of innovation incubators is substantiated, where the state shares financial risks with private investors. An original four-level systematization of innovation priorities by functional clusters has been developed: “Critical Resilience,” “Operational Stability,” “Structural Transformation,” and “Recovery and Prospects”. This hierarchy enables agricultural enterprises to rationally allocate limited investment resources depending on the level of threats and the strategic planning horizon. An authorial “Strategic Plan for the Implementation of Resilience Innovations” for the project period 2026–2029 has been proposed. The fundamental advantage of the proposed model lies in the fact that each subsequent stage is financed through resources saved at the previous stage, forming a mechanism for the self-reproduction of innovative transformations without the need for external funding.