SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS
The article describes the problems of sustainable development of rural areas that indicate their insufficient federal support. It is revealed that a significant amount of funds for the development of rural areas is financed from extra-budgetary sources. At the same time, against the background of economic growth, the disparity in the living standards of the urban and rural population is growing, and regional differences in income are significant. In rural areas, about one-third, according to official statistics, have an income below the subsistence level. Further preservation of this state increases the differentiation of the population of the regions in terms of living standards, has a negative impact on the socio-political atmosphere of society, affects the indicators of human development and the investment image of the country. Rural economy and rural territories are inextricably linked: rural territories were historically formed on the basis of agricultural activity and ceased to exist with the termination of the latter. Modern development of agricultural production confirms this pattern: the crisis in agricultural production has led to an outflow of population and the collapse of life support systems in rural areas.