Theoretical principles of project management of innovative development of the agrarian sphere

The purpose of the study is to develop and substantiate the theoretical foundations of project management aimed at stimulating the innovative development of agricultural production and rural areas. It has been established that the basic principles of planning and resource allocation were used in such historical large-scale projects as the construction of the pyramids in Egypt, the Great Wall of China and Roman aqueducts, etc., which allows us to argue about the prehistoric emergence of project management. It is substantiated that the modern period of evolution of the concept of project management covers three main stages: the industrial revolution (18th–19th centuries); institutionalization of project management (1970–1980s) and the newest stage (1990s – present, the first projects in the agricultural sector began to be applied on the border of the first and second stages. It was determined that project management in the agricultural sector has its own specific features, which are determined by natural, economic and social factors, and project management in the agricultural sector is an important component of its innovative development along with technical, technological, marketing innovations, because we are talking about the effective organization of the development of both agricultural production and rural areas. It was established that project management in the agricultural sector differs from conventional management in the presence of the temporality and uniqueness of the project, a clearly formulated project goal, a deadline for its achievement, precisely defined costs; using a combination of efforts of different specialists. Among the theoretical approaches to project management, the following are distinguished: systemic, innovative, process, flexible, integrated, economic and mathematical, environmental, each of which has its own specific application and, accordingly, results. It was established that there are successfully implemented projects, both abroad and in Ukraine, which can serve as an example for the further implementation of approaches and tools of project management in the agricultural sector. It was concluded that project management in the agricultural sector demonstrates how innovations can transform agricultural production, simultaneously increasing its efficiency, competitiveness and the level of socio-economic living conditions of the population in rural areas in the context of the requirements of sustainable development of the agricultural sector.