The ethnocultural component as a factor of innovative development of agriculture in the Arctic zone

The paper examines the paradoxical role of the ethno-cultural component in the innovative development of the agro-industrial complex of the Arctic on the example of the Komi Republic. The authors question the classical juxtaposition of "tradition" and "modernity", arguing that in the harsh climatic and economic conditions of the North, it is local knowledge that becomes a critical resource, rather than an obstacle to technological renewal. Based on an interdisciplinary analysis (economics, statistics, qualitative analysis of documents) and an appeal to the concept of multifunctionality of agriculture, the work shows that the loss-making reindeer husbandry of the Izhemsky Komi, despite 95% subsidization, performs an indispensable social function of population retention. The research focuses on the transition from extensive methods to hybrid solutions.: integration of GPS monitoring, biotechnologies and breeding work with the unique gene pool of reindeer, but subject to the mandatory condition of preserving traditional nomadic routes and the involvement of knowledge holders themselves in research and production processes. Special attention is paid to the analysis of barriers (high wear of machinery, lack of processing, compensatory rather than investment nature of subsidies) and potential growth points (deep processing of endocrine-enzyme raw materials, agrotourism, branding of products with the "Arctic code"). The authors conclude that the sustainability of the Arctic territories is impossible without revising the language of innovation policy: the ethno-cultural component is proposed to be considered not as a decoration or filter, but as a necessary foundation on which technological solutions can take root, ensuring the transition from survival on subsidies to the internal logic of development.