Current state and trends in human capital development in agro-industrial complex and rural areas of Russia

One of the priority directions for the development of the modern agrarian economy is the formation and development of human capital in agriculture and rural areas in the context of the strategy of social, economic, and spatial development of the Russian Federation. The purpose of the study is to analyze the current state, trends, problems, and ways of human capital development in the agro-industrial complex and rural areas of Russia. Methods of synthesis, analysis, systematization, logical and comparative analysis using information review, and statistical data processing were used as general scientific methods during the research. The paper reveals the essence and structure of human capital in the agro-industrial complex and rural areas, characterizes the indicators of its main components, analyzes their dynamics from 2017 to 2022, and identifies trends for further development. The analysis of the state of human capital in the agro-industrial complex and rural areas of Russia allowed us to identify both positive and negative trends in its development. Positive trends include an increase in wages in agriculture, some improvement in the structure of the rural population, active participation of farmers in educational programs, an increase in the share of the rural population with higher education, a decrease in the number of employed people who do not have basic general education, and the digitalization of the agro-industrial complex. Among the negative trends are the growth of the natural decline of the rural population, the aging of the population of rural areas, the lack of an attractive image of rural areas, and the low activity of agricultural managers in the creation and development of a personal brand. In conclusion, it is noted that, despite the presence of negative factors, there are real grounds and conditions for the development and improvement of quantitative and qualitative components of human capital in agriculture and rural areas.