Development of Agrarian Teritories Revisited
The paper emphasizes the significance of rural development in a general context of economic well-being. It identifies two major directions as most efficient means to use natural resources of rural territories, such as 1) binding of rural youth to birth localities, and 2) stimulation of population growth in such localities, creation of conditions for their further technical training, and diversification of rural economy through the development of minor - essentially non-agricultural - producing units, use of international practices and their impact on the ‘old’ Russian rural economy. It is the vertical integration accompanied by the establishment of large-scale interindustry corporations that is viewed as a leading rural development model. The study recommends to take a more objective approach in estimating self-generated opportunities of the village, view farming and its role in rural economy as a pattern of mere euphoria, tilt toward collective ownership of land, and pay enhanced attention to the social and industrial rural infrastructure development in Southern Russia.