Methodological approach to sustainable rural development

In each country, rural areas occupy most of the vacant land, but generally remain outside the mainstream of innovative development processes. Nevertheless, they have the potential and are vital for the implementation of a very effective concept of sustainable development of the regions and the country as a whole. In this context, ensuring the sustainability of rural areas is a key strategic direction for the development of the rural economy, a tool for reducing socio-economic inequality in living standards. Rural settlements remote from cities are currently facing a shortage of labor combined with the aging process of the population, there is an outflow of young people into the urban environment as a result of continuous urbanization. Public investment in infrastructure and public utilities is crucial to narrow the gap in living standards and to mitigate rural migration phenomena. For the development and implementation of promising rural development programs, it is necessary to determine the objective state of these territories using an integral indicator and the formation of the main directions of development.