Abstract
The object of the study is the economic efficiency of dairy farms in the context of digital transformation in a developing country (using the example of the Republic of Kazakhstan). The problem of quantifying the impact of digital investments on the productivity and costs of dairy farms has been solved, taking into account the heterogeneity of effects on the size of enterprises. The results are obtained: – the data of 98 dairy farms in Republic of Kazakhstan was analyzed: the average milk yield per cow was 4,815 kg/year, the average level of digital investment was 375.77 USD per cow; – regression analysis revealed that an increase in digital investments by 1 USD per cow leads to an increase in milk yield by 0.42 kg per cow per year, a decrease in the cost of 1 kg of milk by 0.02 USD, and an increase in profit by 12.44 USD per cow per year; – the heterogeneity of the effects was revealed: the maximum return on digitalization was recorded on medium-sized farms (the impact factor on milk yield was 237.8 kg per 1% of investment growth; – a 1% increase in digital investments is accompanied by a decrease in the carbon intensity of milk by 0.11 kg CO2e/kg, with the greatest effect on medium-sized farms. The results obtained are explained by the fact that in Republic of Kazakhstan, it is medium-sized farms that have optimal production flexibility compared to large enterprises and access to digital solutions compared to small enterprises. The features of the results obtained are that they show, based on empirical data from Kazakhstani farms, a heterogeneity of returns from digital transformation depending on the size of the enterprise, which differs from the patterns observed in other countries. The practical significance of this study lies in the possibility of using its results to develop investment solutions