THE FUTURE OF UKRAINE’S RURAL SECTOR – FROM EXTRACTIVE USE TO INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Content of the concept of the rural sector as a socio-territorial subsystem of society is revealed. The key features of the subsystem are habitation of people in rural areas and their relationship with production and processing of agricultural products. It is proved that opportunities of rural residents and persons engaged in agriculture are limited in comparison with other citizens in terms of meeting their vital needs. Evolution of the term “inclusive development” in the context of its relationship to “inclusive growth” and “inclusive welfare” is considered. From the standpoint of inclusiveness, the socioeconomic situation in Ukraine’s agriculture in the Soviet period, in the years of active market transformations and at the present stage is characterized. It is shown that the extractive development of agriculture and rural areas gained an advantage at all stages, despite the declaration by political forces of the intentions to protect the interests of rural residents and producers of agricultural products, as well as the recommendations of scientists on realization of these interests. The extractive development was accompanied by resource-exhausting nature of management and restriction of real access of peasants to productive resources and distribution of benefits from their use. The necessity of transition to inclusive development in domestic rural sector is substantiated and conditions for this transition are revealed. Important factors in this should be: (i) Ukraine’s implementation of measures to ensure the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals proclaimed at the UN summit in 2015, and (ii) support and implementation of the ideas of the Declaration of the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas, draft of which is being discussed at the United Nations Human Rights Council.