Foresight: Diversification of agriculture for sustainable rural development

Abstract

Subject. The article addresses the organization of foresight sessions to take into account the opinion of residents of rural areas when choosing areas of agricultural diversification that contribute to increasing the sustainability of the development of the territory of residence. Objectives. The aim is to investigate the perception of the concept of "ideal village" by the residents of a rural municipality; to test the research methodology for choosing the directions of diversification of the agricultural economy to increase the sustainability of rural development. Methods. The study employs methods of logical analysis, the communication technology of designing the image of the future. The data for the study were obtained during a foresight session by means of moderation. Results. On the territory of the "Kurumkansky district" municipality of the Republic of Buryatia, the main issue is employment of the population. Residents consider various social infrastructure facilities, like schools, kindergartens, as the main areas of employment. Among possible directions of agricultural diversification, those related to tourism, primary processing of agricultural products, landscape gardening and improvement of rural areas are highlighted. Entrepreneurship is practically not considered as a source of job creation and additional income. Conclusions. The study establishes that people choose areas of agricultural diversification that do not violate the ecology of the place of residence, enable expansion of sales markets through unrelated areas of diversification, such as tourism, primary processing of agricultural products.