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It is substantiated that mobilization of efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) against the background of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic provides for a radical rethinking of the priorities of agri-food policy. This concerns the improvement of the social development policy of the countryside and the solution to the problems of sustainable development of rural areas. The specificity of the concept of sustainable development of rural areas as interconnected into a single system of economic, social, and environmental goals and objectives is revealed. These include sustainable growth of the rural economy, diversification of its structure, the achievement of food security; increasing employment, the level and quality of life of the rural population, reducing interregional and intraregional differentiation, eliminating poverty, bringing the countryside closer to urban living standards; rationalization of the use of natural potential and preservation of the natural environment. Solving the problems of social development of the countryside contributes to the transition to an inclusive development model. The author's methodology made it possible to substantiate the criteria and indicators that characterize the level of social inclusion. By this approach, an empirical research base was formed and a comprehensive assessment of the social development of the village was given in the context of the following aspects: poverty of the population, the risk of poverty and poverty fields depending on the place of residence of the population; urban and rural unemployment; resources and final consumption expenditures, on average, per household member; physical and economic accessibility of basic food products for the urban and rural population. Measures have been formulated to facilitate the transition of the agri-food system to an inclusive development model and overcome negative trends in the postpandemic economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural development, sustainable development and sustainability are nowadays often mentioned in scientific publications, as well as in political discussions and the media. The concept of sustainability includes three sets of goals: economic, environmental and social. In this paper emphasis is put on the selection of the most appropriate social indicators for measuring sustainable rural development at NUTS 3 level. Objectives of the paper were: (1) to identify the most appropriate social indicators for measuring sustainable rural development already used or proposed in literature, (2) to choose the five most appropriate indicators according to experts' assessment. The analysis of existing research outlined and explained 18 social indicators. After the first phase of selection, an additional selection of indicators by expert evaluation was carried out. Based on the expert evaluation, five most relevant social indicators were identified, namely according to the average grade: age structure (4.70), availability of educational institutions (4.45), educational structure (4.34), availability of health institutions (4.32) and population growth between two censuses (4.32). Looking at separate assessments of each of the expert groups, it is evident that their selection of the five most relevant indicators coincides in three indicators: age structure, availability of educational institutions and educational structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The content of rural territories development as a socio-economic-ecological system has been determined. It has been also proved that the study of rural development is of crucial importance because of the necessity to solve some socio-economic problems such as preservation of local customs, historical and ethnic characteristics. We have identified the decentralization as one of the vital components of democratic reformation, contributing to the transparency of the authorities' activity. The impact of decentralization processes on the indicators of sustainable rural development in Ukraine has been revealed. It manifests itself in the growth of employment and income of rural population, provision of medical and educational institutions, enhancements of road transport infrastructure, creation of conditions for business development and further diversification of economic activity in rural areas, environmental protection. The analysis of sustainable development of rural territories in the conditions of decentralization based on the application of the proposed methodology has been done. Integral indices of sustainable development of rural territories of Ukraine have been calculated using the determination of partial indices of social sphere development, economic and ecological situation. The results of modelling rural territories sustainable development in the context of decentralization can be used to make management decisions for the development and implementation of economic instruments with the aim of achieving such strategic prospects as reformation of local self-governments and territorial organization of central government in Ukraine. To analyze the impact of decentralization on achieving sustainable rural development prospects, the benefits and risks of this process have been identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]