The Impact of Digitalization Processes on the Comprehensive Development of Rural Areas in Agricultural Systems

Research into the interaction between agricultural systems and the sustainable development of rural areas is becoming particularly important now, as agriculture has always been the foundation of the economy and has provided vital resources for a significant portion of the population. The purpose of the article is to define problems and prospects of the sustainable growth of rural areas, which determine the specific character of the initiation of digital transformation processes in agrarian systems of the Russian Federation. The research is based upon the data of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, Federal State Statistics Service and scientific literature on transformation and digitalization of rural areas. The analysis of implementation and use of digital technologies in the companies of the industrial complex within 2020–2021 has shown that the most widely used services were big data and cloud services technologies, as well as electronic digital signatures and antivirus programs. Government support in implementing innovative approaches and tools into different segments of rural territories is shown in an example «Digital agriculture» project. Digital transformation of rural areas is not only capable to resolve the problem of digital inequality of the country’s regions, but will also directly influence upon the life quality of rural residents by regulating the internal migration flows and providing the agro-industrial complex with skilled personnel.