Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 25 ISSUE 2
Written by Marina NIKOLOVA, Penka CHERNAEVA

Transformations in agriculture, the implementation of sustainable production models, require more and more digital agriculture to be placed at the heart of the modern agrarian revolution in Bulgaria. Increasing attention is being paid to understanding the need for the application and use of digital technologies as an innovative approach in the farming business. Undoubtedly, digital technologies are the ones that provide an opportunity to improve the economic sustainability of agricultural holdings. Digital solutions in the development of digital agriculture are an indisputable necessity and at the same time are a prerequisite for slowing down the negative economic and social processes, the demographic structure and the trend of depopulation of rural areas. Unfortunately, at this stage in Bulgaria, untimely implementation of effective solutions in connection with the digitalization of processes related to land administration is characteristic. A long-term management perspective is needed, leading to a transition to sustainable land management in every territory, especially in rural areas. This necessitates the need for timely digital solutions for administering land management processes and accelerating the development of a key economic sector, such as agriculture. In this context, the aim of the article is to explore the possibilities of implementing modern software solutions, taking into account the state and trends in the development of agricultural areas and farms in Bulgaria. On the other hand, to identify the problems in assessing the possible income from owned agricultural land and their solution through specialized software applications. The publication includes official data from national and European institutions, as well as own calculations from face-to-face interviews and data from archival protocols of a consulting organization. The research methods used include general scientific, empirical-theoretical and logical-theoretical methods, as well as analytical tools: analysis and summary of literature, graphic, tabular and schematic method for presenting characteristics and trends. The main results show that the number of individuals has the highest relative share compared to the total number of farms (91.43 %). However, individuals process only 37.4% of the UAA, which means that in most cases the use of expensive software solutions is unprofitable when managing small areas. Unfortunately, in Bulgaria, digital solutions for state control and management are still characterized by catching up, not overtaking, development. In conclusion, the issue of a management vision based on information systems and a reliable mechanism for controlling deviations, a synchronized institutional framework and digital solutions before their design and implementation is particularly acute.

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