The Problem of the Attractiveness of Rural Areas in the Novgorod Region

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to identify the factors influencing the image of the countryside and the villager, using the example of the Novgorod region. Materials and methods. The main methods are comparative and descriptive, the method of expert evaluations, a survey of the population, and the analysis of the data obtained. The research is based on an anthropocentric approach. The experts were specialists in various fields: socio-economic geography, management in the agricultural sector, marketing and public relations, and farming. The population survey was conducted among young people. Results and discussion. It has been found that the suburbanisation of the countryside has slowed down the process of desertification in developed countries and has led to an increase in the population in the suburbs. The trend is not only towards suburbanisation, but also towards ruralisation. In Russia, these trends are still rather weak. The low attractiveness of rural areas is caused by a number of objective and subjective factors, among them economic (low incomes, unemployment), social (infrastructure, social services, transport and communications), and humanitarian (lack of opportunities for self-realisation, poor leisure activities). Conclusions. The research has made it possible to identify the specifics of the processes taking place in the Novgorod region. Infrastructural, economic and social problems of unattractiveness of rural areas are of organisational nature, belonging to the competence of regional and local authorities. At the same time, there are a number of factors that are being addressed by organising systematic information work, including among young people, aimed at demonstrating the strengths of rural areas.