Agrotech-leadership: the development of digital competencies and mentoring systems in the era of «Agriculture 4.0»

Modern agriculture is on the verge of a radical transformation, determined by the integration of digital technologies of the fourth industrial revolution. Agrotech leadership as a new management paradigm involves the synergetic development of digital competencies and innovative mentoring systems that ensure effective adaptation to the requirements of Agriculture 4.0. The study is based on a comprehensive analysis of empirical data, including a survey of 1,247 heads of agricultural enterprises from 15 countries, in-depth interviews with 89 industry experts, and an analysis of 3,456 cases of digital solutions implementation in the period 2022-2024. The results demonstrate a critical gap between the needs of the agricultural sector in digital competencies and the current level of their development: only 23.4% of managers have sufficient skills to effectively manage digitalized processes, while 67.8% express willingness to participate in development programs through mentoring. It was found that integrated mentoring systems increase the efficiency of mastering digital competencies by 34.2% compared with traditional teaching methods, and integrated agrotech leadership models provide productivity growth by 28.7% and a reduction in operating costs by 19.3%. The research contributes to the development of the theory of digital leadership in the agricultural sector and offers a practice-oriented model for the formation of agrotech competencies through a structured mentoring system.