Rural Development Challenges and Solutions: Economic Growth, Education and Employment

Despite unprecedented foreign policy pressure, the Russian agro-industrial complex is at the stage of active development: at the beginning of 2022, the country ranks fifth in the world ranking in terms of the value added of agriculture (4.4 trillion rubles); is in seventh place in terms of direct investment in the agro-industrial complex. Russia exports agricultural products to more than 160 countries. In the context of the aging of the Russian population and the expansion of sanctions, the search for innovative drivers of growth in the agricultural economy and ways to overcome barriers to further development is becoming especially relevant. The growing role of education in the context of the transformation processes taking place in society makes it one of the key resources, the accumulation of which is sought by the territories that claim to occupy leading positions in the technological society generated by the fourth industrial revolution and the digital economy. In the face of increased foreign sanctions, the domestic agro-industrial complex continues to strengthen food security and increase export potential, becoming the world's largest food exporter. The expansion of production and the increase in exports ensure the creation of new jobs, including high-tech ones. However, in terms of the development of education in agrarian areas, the domestic economy faces the following problems: depopulation of the rural population, a shortage of qualified personnel, a mass outflow of rural youth to cities, and a high level of unemployment. The unsatisfactory level of education hinders the integration of modern technologies into production, the growth of labor productivity, the improvement of the well-being and quality of life of the population, which hinders the sustainable development of the Russian Federation in order to ensure its food and national security.