Limitless Hinterland: how digitalization will help to revive villages
Young people are leaving rural areas and moving to cities in search of better living and working conditions. The future of villages and district centers is unenviable — jobs are gradually disappearing, and then life altogether. At the government level, the problem of their desolation has been solved for several years — much has been done, nevertheless, young people continue to leave, and villages continue to be orphaned. At the same time, territories abandoned by people can represent an important strategic resource. Why the renewal and revival of rural areas is necessary not only to strengthen the economy, but also to solve the demographic problems of the country, and what else the state can do — in the material of Izvestia.
Leaving villages and leaving villages
According to Rosstat, the majority of Russian residents are concentrated in cities — 109.8 million people, which is 75.1% of the country's population. 36.3 million Russians, or 24.9%, live in villages and towns, and this proportion continues to decrease. So, in 2017, 25.7% of the population lived in rural areas. Experts from the Higher School of Economics note that the decrease in the number of rural residents is due to low birth rates, high mortality, shorter life expectancy compared to urban residents, and mainly due to the outflow of people to more comfortable regions.
— Comfort and employment opportunities are sorely lacking in rural areas. One of the main problems of rural development is the lack of engineering and transport infrastructure, poorly developed social infrastructure: not only cultural facilities, but mainly educational and health facilities. Even attractive rural locations often remain in demand only as a place of rest, and not as a place of permanent residence, due to the acute shortage of jobs for skilled labor, says Ekaterina Bezsmertnaya, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
Olga Samarina, the head of the social and cultural project "Live, Village", told Izvestia that she travels a lot to villages and small towns. According to her, if a child is raised from the cradle to live in the city, then he will most likely grow up and leave.
— Once in one of the villages I saw a monument in the form of two cranes soaring into the sky. What was my horror when I found out that this was a monument to living children who had left this village for the city... It was simple—minded and doomed: at first they were escorted out with their own hands, and then they "buried" them for the village," Samarina shared.
Sociologist and head of the Center for Regional Studies Dmitry Loboiko, in a conversation with Izvestia, stressed that the migration of young people from villages to cities is a real tectonic transformation of society. According to him, the modern village loses to the city not so much in the quality of life as in its diversity. In a city, you can be anyone — from a barista to an IT specialist, from an artist to a startup, but in a village, the choice is traditionally limited to three or four professions, and this is not a matter of comfort, but of identity.
The founder of the IT company TIQUM, Yuri Gizatullin, noted that no measures can completely stop the outflow, which is a global trend, but it can be slowed down for a while.
— The main reason is the lack of opportunities. Jobs, education, medicine, and infrastructure are worse in small towns and villages. Young people are going to a place where they can build a career and live faster. Urbanization is a global trend, which is why we in Russia do not stand out in this indicator and keep pace with other countries. Elementary conditions are needed to slow down: fast Internet, good roads, jobs, access to education," the expert said.
Enter IT and agrotourism
Igor Kalinin, Director of Development of the My Hectare project, said that 10-15 years ago the infrastructure gap was obvious, but now the countryside is actively developing.
— Government support, including the creation of support settlements (as well as strategies for the spatial development of the country), subsidies and grants to farmers and those employed in the agricultural sector, as well as support programs for teachers, doctors and cultural workers in rural areas, rural mortgages — all this makes life in rural areas attractive to citizens. Importantly, there is an active road transport development. Areas of comfortable suburban life are already beginning to form around major transport projects, such as the future Moscow—St. Petersburg high–speed highway, where travel time to the metropolis is comparable to a trip through the metropolis itself," Kalinin added.
Mikhail Silantyev, Chairman of the Farmers of the Russian North Association and the Arkhangelsk regional branch of the Russian Horticultural Union, believes that the main thing for young people is not the level of comfort, but the difficulty in finding a job. According to him, small rural businesses have a hard time due to the lack of their own niche, for which they have to fight with large agricultural holdings and road enterprises.
Professions that allow you to work remotely or serve local needs using modern technologies can be promising for rural areas, said Andrey Zelenin, founder of Russia's first full-service ESG PR agency. According to him, it is important that everyone has access to these professions, including residents of the most remote villages. One of the effective steps is to create training centers for digital professions right in regional centers and large villages with the possibility of free training for local residents. Such centers can become a point of attraction for young people who do not want to leave, but want to have modern skills and a decent income.
— If we talk about what could make life in villages and small towns more attractive for young people, the first thing that comes to mind is the development of high—tech infrastructure. Fast Internet access is no longer a luxury today, but it is still unstable or expensive in some rural areas. If villages had the same Internet as in large cities, many people could study online, work remotely, and open their own businesses in a digital environment," said Zelenin.
Another option is agrotourism. Dmitry Morkovkin, a leading researcher at the Institute for International Economic Relations Research at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, said that today there is an active development of institutional and legal foundations for the development of this area.
— The total financial effect of the development of agrotourism in Russia may reach about 55 billion rubles a year, and the number of travelers to rural areas may increase to 8 million people. The development of the infrastructure of guest houses adapted to accommodate small groups opens up opportunities to stimulate multi—day rural tourism in the country's regions," the expert added.
Put everything in its place
Psychologist Dmitry Sidorov recalls that the experience of living in the countryside can help "put a lot in its place."
— On the one hand, without the usual urban regime, life seems chaotic: there are no usual shops, transport, entertainment, you need to organize the day yourself. On the other hand, I was surprised at how real and vibrant a rural environment can be. My neighbors are a whole mini-ecosystem: one farmer raises poultry and sells meat, another builds houses, a third is engaged in beekeeping, a fourth makes moonshine. Everyone is busy with their own business, and everyone benefits the common community," Sidorov said.
According to him, such an environment brings back a sense of reality and belonging, and people find meaning in everyday life again. This can attract young people, especially since digitalization and remote work open up new opportunities: farmers can sell products online, artisans can develop businesses without moving to the city.
Anna Skroznikova, a member of the State Duma Education Committee, stressed that rural areas are not only food production, but also a strategic resource.
— The loss of population in rural areas leads to a reduction in domestic food potential, land degradation, loss of cultural traditions and infrastructure. For border areas, this is also a matter of national security: empty territories are more susceptible to social and economic risks," the source said.
From the point of view of demography, rural development also means supporting large families, reducing migration pressure on cities and maintaining the labor balance in the regions, the expert believes.
Research conducted by the National Research Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences this year confirms that low-urbanized territories with a high proportion of rural populations consistently maintain an increased birth rate, while the largest urban agglomerations, on the contrary, form zones of minimal fertility around themselves. The reasons are obvious: the high cost of housing, the cramped conditions of multi-storey apartments, and the high cost of maintaining a family.
From empty villages to a prosperous hinterland
The Nikola-Lenivets art village in the Kaluga Region and the ethnoparks in Altai are examples of successful villages that have found their "vein" in development due to the presence of leaders and active communities, as well as a clear strategy for promoting the territory, said Vitaly Krivtsov, Director General of the Center for the Implementation of National Projects. According to him, the revival of the village is possible if it is perceived not as a relic of the past, but as part of the future of Russia, where technologies and traditions combine into new forms of life.
— Rural life should be associated with quality: clean air, spacious houses, modern services, and the opportunity to own your own business. Businesses need to be given incentives: benefits, simplified bureaucracy, and infrastructure. Then he will become a partner in the development of roads, schools, and cultural centers," concluded Krivtsov.
Igor Kalinin named three key measures that, in his opinion, could make rural life attractive for young people — infrastructure development, job creation and the formation of a modern image of the village.
— High-quality infrastructure is needed: roads, high-speed Internet, medical facilities, schools and engineering networks. This creates the basic conditions for a comfortable life. The second factor is earnings opportunities. The third is the new image of the village: not a "place without prospects", but a space for an eco—friendly, technological and active life, — said Kalinin.
When it comes to village positioning, it is important to start with goal setting, the question: "Why should urban residents move to villages at all?" says Ivan Sumarokov, Director of Strategic Planning at SPN Communications.
— If you ask any citizen, you will often hear a simple thing: a metropolis is a drive, energy, opportunities, but also an endless race. Sooner or later, there comes a moment when you want to exhale, slow down, and feel the ground under your feet. It is precisely because of such needs that retreats are in increasing demand," Sumarokov told Izvestia.
According to him, the village is becoming more and more noticeable in popular culture. Sumarokov stressed that it is very important to tell success stories of real young people: young farmers managing agro‑tourism complexes, IT specialists working with drones and smart greenhouses.
To change the image of rural life, it is important to show that the village is not only about silence and vegetable gardens, but also about unique opportunities, Andrei Zelenin is sure.
— Living in rural areas often provides access to land benefits, support when starting a business, and participation in environmental or ethno-cultural projects. This should be not only in the form of dry lists on the websites of administrations, but also in the real stories of people who managed to build their successful project in the village," he lists.
Evgeny Golovin is convinced that it is critically important to solve the problem of the shortage of qualified personnel. The lack of people does not allow the business to develop, and they leave because they have nowhere to work, the expert is sure.
"This vicious circle must be broken somehow — to initiate useful and effective programs, launch pilot projects, organize pilot points with subsequent scaling throughout the country, otherwise our megacities will continue to grow at a furious pace, attracting the best minds, the most enterprising and energetic young people," concluded Golovin.
Dmitry Loboiko cites successful examples around the world that show that saving a village is not nostalgia for the past, but an investment in the future. For example, in Austria, the Active Regions program has turned dying villages into ecotourism and organic farming centers. In Germany, the concept of "smart" villages has created rural hubs with coworking spaces and high-speed Internet.
Economic diversification is important, since the village of the 21st century cannot live solely on agriculture. He needs IT hubs, production cooperatives, tourist clusters, and logistics centers, the Izvestia interlocutor is sure.
— What is needed is not targeted assistance, but a systemic transformation. Special programs for young professionals are necessary, but insufficient. A paradigm shift is needed: from supporting a dying village to creating a village of the future. This requires long—term planning, serious investments and, most importantly, an understanding that the village is not the periphery of civilization, but its vanguard," says Loboiko. — The paradox is that saving the village can be the key to solving many problems of our time — from the ecological crisis to the crisis of meaning in an urbanized society. The only question is whether we have the wisdom to understand this.
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