The category “rural areas”: approaches to defining the concept, basic functions

Abstract

The article examines variations in the interpretation of the category “rural areas” by various scientists and draws attention to the importance of rural areas for the development of the country’s agro-industrial complex. Theoretical approaches to defining the essence of this concept are characterized, namely: territorial, spatial, systemic, structural, and multi-criteria. The advantages and disadvantages of these approaches are highlighted. Proponents of the structural approach consider rural areas through the prism of their structure, parts, elements, and functional units. Proponents of the spatial approach describe rural areas as a space characterized by population and economic resources. Representatives of this approach interpret rural areas as a system. The systemic approach makes it possible to consider the components of rural areas both in relation to each other and in interaction with the components of other systems. This, in turn, makes it possible to single out a significant part of the properties of rural areas, such as structure, integrity, hierarchy, autonomy, and sustainability. Representatives of the territorial approach emphasize three components of the rural area – content, phenomenon, and result. Representatives of the multi-criteria approach use several criteria to define the category “rural area”. The main functions performed by rural areas are outlined. The definition of the concept of “rural areas” lacks functionality, i.e. the possibility to use it for the needs not only in various branches of the economy but also in social and ecological spheres in order to develop concepts for the development of rural areas and their management mechanisms. Therefore, the article suggests the following definition of the category “rural areas”: rural areas are a complex multifaceted socio-economic system characterized by autonomy, integrity, and sustainable development, which performs production, spatial-communication, socio-demographic, cultural-ethnic, recreational, political, and ecological functions, develops in space and time, is outside urbanized centers, and is under the management of local governments, state authorities, public organizations, and business structures.