THE ROLE OF CONSUMER PREFERENCES IN THE INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF SHEEP FARMING DEVELOPMENT
Issue № 11, 2025, article № 14, pages 133-142
Language: Russian
Original language title: РОЛЬ ПОТРЕБИТЕЛЬСКИХ ПРЕДПОЧТЕНИЙ В ИНСТИТУЦИОНАЛЬНЫХ ПРЕОБРАЗОВАНИЯХ РАЗВИТИЯ ОВЦЕВОДСТВА
Keywords: SHEEP FARMING, CONSUMER PREFERENCES, INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATIONS, CULTURALLY DETERMINED STANDARDS, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRO-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Abstract: The article examines the role of consumer preferences as a key factor in institutional transformations in sheep farming. The authors show how culturally determined demands – religious, gastronomic, ethical and environmental – are transformed from informal social norms into formalized economic institutions. Based on retrospective analysis and the case study method, the mechanisms of institutionalization of consumer demand are identified: from ritual practices and food traditions to modern certification systems ("halal", "organic"), geographical indications and ethnic brands. A typology of consumer preferences has been developed and their impact on breeding, logistics, cooperation and the formation of premium market segments has been analyzed. Special attention is paid to the Russian context: more than 50% of the sheep population is concentrated in ethnically and culturally specific regions, where traditions directly shape the demand structure. The empirical basis of the study was the "Social Flock" project in the Republic of Buryatia, which demonstrates how traditional norms of mutual assistance and sustainable farming can be integrated into an effective economic model that reduces transaction costs and stimulates the development of depressed rural areas. Alternative institutions have been identified – from community cooperatives to digital traceability platforms – that increase the sustainability of agricultural systems. It is shown that such models are particularly in demand where standard market mechanisms are ineffective. The results are of practical importance for the development of state agricultural policy aimed at supporting diversified, culturally adapted models of sheep farming development in the context of growing consumer demand differentiation and global trends towards ethical and sustainable production. Given the projected growth of the global halal market to $6 trillion by 2034, as well as the expansion of organic and local product niches, the integration of cultural factors into the institutional environment of the agro-industrial complex is becoming a strategic direction for sustainable development.
Authors: Ayakova Jargal Ayushievna, Sangadieva Iraida Gomboevna, Shobdoeva Nadezhda Valeryevna, Polozova Tatiana Vladimirovna, Vanchikova Elena Nikolaevna, Badanov Garma Erdemovich