Control robots: agriculture lacks programmers
The number of vacancies for IT specialists in the agro-industrial sector is steadily growing, recruitment agencies have noticed. Among the sought—after specialties are programmers, system administrators, analysts, and technical support specialists. More than 60% of large and medium-sized agricultural enterprises use digital tools in their key processes, from planning to equipment management and analytics, and about 40% of companies in the industry use artificial intelligence—based solutions, the Ministry of Agriculture told Izvestia. The fields, for example, are monitored by drones that analyze the condition of plants, and sensors are installed there that measure soil temperature and humidity, the experts added. About what technologies are used in the agro—industrial complex (AIC) and what specialists are needed - in the Izvestia material.
Who are they looking for in agriculture
IT specialists are confidently becoming one of the most sought-after employees in agriculture, according to HR services. This year, they were most often looking for such employees in Moscow, the Voronezh Region and the Krasnodar Territory, the recruiting service said. hh.ru .
The top 10 in-demand IT specialties in agriculture this year included programmers and developers, system administrators, analysts, technical support specialists, project managers, information security specialists, designers or artists, and product managers.
Thanks to the introduction of modern technologies, labor productivity in the industry has increased by almost 55% in 10 years, the Ministry of Agriculture told Izvestia.
"Last year, more than 60% of large and medium-sized agricultural enterprises used digital tools in their key processes, from planning to equipment management and analytics. About 40% of companies in the industry use artificial intelligence—based solutions," reads the response to the publication's request.
Lenar Safiullin, Vice-rector for Artificial Intelligence at Kazan State Agrarian University, confirmed the steady growth of interest in specialists with digital competencies.
"Our university is particularly in demand for programs related to agro—robotics, precision agriculture and biotechnology," he said. — Agriculture and the agro-industrial complex are developing at a fairly high pace today, there are a lot of transformations that we don't even have time to keep track of.
According to him, new technologies and breakthrough solutions require the training of personnel who will implement technologies in agricultural processes.
— Modern agriculture is already impossible to imagine without digitalization, without specialists who understand both IT technologies and the specifics of agricultural production at the same time, — Lenar Safiullin emphasized.
Ivan Goryachev, the manager of the educational project of the IT company Servicepipe, noted that information technologies for the agricultural sector are developing faster than personnel are being trained.
— Digital platforms for field management, weather data, logistics and yield analytics require specialists with interdisciplinary expertise: They need to understand both IT infrastructure and agricultural technologies," he told Izvestia. — But universities, especially specialized agricultural universities, have not yet had time to adapt their programs to these new demands. Of course, you can find an IT specialist in another field and retrain, but this is not an option — companies are wasting time on retraining personnel, the issue is not being resolved.
According to him, the key to solving the problem may be close cooperation between IT companies and agricultural universities, as is already the case with many other sectoral higher education institutions.
— If the largest agricultural holdings or developers of software for the industry will create departments in educational institutions, implement training modules on practical tools and provide students with internships on real projects, — said Ivan Goryachev. — Without such interaction, the gap between the technological development of industries and labor market opportunities will grow.
The Ministry of Agriculture noted that since 2025, the federal project "Personnel in agriculture" has been implemented in Russia, which should improve the agricultural education system and attract young specialists to the industry.
"The foundation of such training will be a network of agrotechnological classes in schools. Since September 1, more than 600 such classes have been opened in 67 regions, where over 9 thousand schoolchildren study. By 2030, the number of agrotechnical classes will reach 18 thousand, and the annual number of students in them will amount to 115 thousand," they said.
The ministry noted that the tasks of the education sector include training agricultural engineers and digital agricultural technologists, specialists in the field of the Internet of Things (a network of devices equipped with sensors, software and connected to the Internet for data exchange), sensor technologies and geoinformation systems, agroanalysts and agronomists, geneticists, drone operators and agricultural ecologists..
"Based on such a request from employers, agricultural universities are forming new educational programs," the Ministry of Agriculture added. — Today, special attention should be paid to working with young developers of innovative and high-tech agricultural startups. We need to form a generation of innovative entrepreneurs in agriculture."
Where in agriculture they switch to "digital"
Currently, for example, in crop production, ground-based equipment with autopilot, agricultural drones, digital weather stations, models of crop management and crop forecasting with AI elements, as well as state information systems (GIS) to support management decisions are used, the Ministry of Agriculture reported.
"The Russian agro-industrial complex operates more than 19 thousand units of various agricultural machinery equipped with automatic positioning systems. The main advantage of such equipment is uniform field treatment and fuel economy, which provides up to 30% savings from total costs," the ministry said.
Thus, new digital tools provide a 30-50% increase in field productivity, while reducing operational time. AI analytics provides up to +30% yield savings, 15-25% savings on individual items of expenditure, and up to +25% profitability, depending on the crop and the initial level of digitalization.
Lenar Safiullin explained that large agricultural holdings use remote monitoring using drones as a common field management tool, while medium-sized farms are actively developing the technology.
— The drone flies around 10 hectares in half an hour, takes a series of pictures, — he said. — The program glues images into a field map, the AI analyzes the condition of crops, finds areas with deviations, generates task maps for fertilization or processing - only where it is needed.
In animal husbandry, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, herd management and animal health monitoring systems, robotics, and AI for controlling veterinary risks play an important role. The introduction of digital technologies in this industry makes it possible to increase the quality and volume of products by 25-30% and increase labor productivity by 1.5–2 times.
Digital twins, robotics, software for optimizing production and logistics, and additive technologies are used in processing. Digital tools in this segment ensure process sustainability and transparent management, increasing productivity and reducing costs.
The introduction of technologies in agriculture, for example, to reduce crop production losses, was also discussed at the Russian Agro—Industrial Exhibition Golden Autumn 2025, which was held in mid-October. Deputy Minister of Agriculture Andrey Razin noted that digitalization of agriculture makes it possible to accurately identify the points of occurrence of losses and prevent them even before the actual damage. Key technologies include not only the use of agricultural drones, but also weather platforms, yield forecasting systems, as well as robotic sorters, dryers, and self—piloting equipment. These solutions reduce losses and improve product quality and labor efficiency.
The system of "smart" sensors for agriculture was developed at the National Research University of Information Technology, Mechanics and Optics in St. Petersburg (ITMO), the press office of the University's Technology Entrepreneurship Platform reported. The Alterman system is a domestic hardware and software complex. Its sensors measure temperature and humidity at a depth of 15 to 60 cm and transmit data over a distance of more than 10 km. This allows you to monitor the condition of the soil in real time, analyze changes and make decisions on irrigation, fertilization and crop planning.
— Today, farmers depend on the human factor and often make decisions based on experience rather than data. Our system makes the process of crop management more accurate, technological and predictable. In the future, it may become part of "smart" farming ecosystems, where everything from sensors to irrigation systems is connected in a single network," said Nadezhda Yakubovskaya, a representative of the project.
How to attract specialists
In order to win the race for personnel, especially in conditions of high competition between qualified specialists and young people, employers from the agricultural sphere need to rethink their HR approach, said the head of the agro-industrial development project. hh.ru Elena Buzova is in the Central Federal District.
"The key lies in the brand's technology and seamless processes," she said. — First of all, it is necessary to create a strong career website that will destroy the stereotype of "boring agribusiness". That is why we are actively developing cooperation with universities such as Innopolis, whose IT specialists and modern laboratories complement our agricultural competencies. In addition, we plan to include modules on the study of AI and its use in professional activities in all new educational programs.
The competition for agronomic specialties has increased by one and a half to two times in recent years, Lenar Safiullin noted.
"The profession no longer seems outdated — applicants understand that a modern agronomist manages complex systems, works with data, and makes decisions with real economic consequences," he believes. — But the influx of students solves only part of the problem. It is more important to ensure the quality of training and the compliance of programs with the real needs of production.
For example, Kazan State Agrarian University has implemented a system that uses modern neural networks and large open source language models to automate routine tasks.
— We are changing the approach to training specialists and creating fundamentally new educational programs, — said the expert. — For example, we have a program "Technical and robotic systems in the agroindustrial complex" in the field of agroengineering, where students learn programming, working with sensor devices and their application in agricultural engineering.
There is also a Digital Business Transformation program in business informatics, focused on the introduction of digital technologies into the business processes of the agro-industrial sector. Students do not just study traditional agronomy or animal husbandry, they master working with robotic systems, learn how to drive unmanned tractors, and work with automated farms.
"We are creating a center for genomic competencies, developing digital laboratories in our Agrobiotechnopark, and introducing automated greenhouses," he added. — All this is becoming an integral part of the learning process.
And Katerina Smirnova, HR Director of Telecom Exchange, noted that the shortage of IT specialists in Russia in certain industries may be stronger, including due to uncompetitive salaries.
So, according to her, the average salary of such employees in agriculture is about 74 thousand rubles per month, which is significantly lower than the average salary in similar positions in other fields. This, she says, does not help to keep teams motivated and productive. Therefore, she recommended that the industry consider a competitive remuneration package that includes both financial and non-financial motivators.
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