UDC: 332.142.6:338.43
https://doi.org/10.25198/2077-7175-2026-4-11


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RURAL DEVELOPMENT: BALANCING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PRIORITIES

G. M. Gritsenko
Siberian Federal Scientific Center for Agro-BioTechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
e-mail: gritcenko_galina_milenium@mail.ru

Abstract. The article examines current issues and prospects for the development of rural areas using the example of the Siberian Federal District (SFD) and the search for a balance between the efficiency of agricultural production and social priorities. The study focuses on a fundamental thesis: the preservation of the demographic potential of rural areas directly depends on stable employment, without which any infrastructural transformations are powerless («there will be no jobs and income – there will be no population»). Particular emphasis is placed on the directions of diversification of household activities and the small sector of the agrarian economy (peasant farming enterprises, cooperatives, and individual entrepreneurs) as the basis for the sustainability of the rural economic way of life, and on the organizational forms for their active involvement in agricultural production processes. The research methodology is based on a comprehensive structural-dynamic analysis of statistical data for 2020–2025, assessment of personnel shortage, cross-regional audit of the distribution of state support, and modeling of organizational-economic and demographic processes. The results prove that the systematic decline in the rural population of the SFD (by 1.5% annually) is caused by deep inequality: highly efficient resource-saving technologies and the lion’s share of state subsidies are accumulated in large agro-holdings, which tend to optimize staff rather than create jobs for the local population. Small business, which ensures social stability, is almost completely cut off from digitalization and state support due to financial barriers. During the discussion, the necessity of transitioning to a hybrid model of territory management is justified. It is proven that to genuinely reduce migration, the focus of state policy needs to be shifted: redirect financial flows to support organizational forms for involving small businesses and households in unified production processes, diversify the economy, and create infrastructure for production development. Purpose of the study – to substantiate a comprehensive set of measures ensuring a balance between economic and social priorities of the state in the development of rural territories of the SFD. Scientific novelty lies in the quantitative substantiation of the social efficiency of resource-saving technologies implementation, identification of the true causes of rural population migration, and development of a hybrid territory management model that integrates large, medium, and small businesses within eco-technological clusters. Practical significance consists in developing specific directions of government support and organizational forms for involving small businesses and households in unified production processes capable of stemming demographic outflow and ensuring sustainable development of rural territories.

Key words: rural territories, population migration, rural employment, small business, rural economy diversification, resource-saving technologies, eco-technological clusters, government support, hybrid management model, Siberian Federal District.

Cite as: Gritsenko, G. M. (2026) [Rural development: balancing economic and social priorities]. Intellekt. Innovacii. Investicii [Intellect. Innovations. Investments]. Vol. 4, pp. 11–25. – https://doi.org/10.25198/2077-7175-2026-4-11.


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