About State Support of Traditional Forms of Farming in Rural Areas

Popova Ol'ga Vladimirovna PhD in Law Director of the Center for Control, Financial Analysis and Strategic Compliance RANEPA 119571, Russia, Moscow, Vernadsky Avenue, 82 volodina1973@mail.ru Other publications by this author     Serebryakova Alla Arkad'evna Doctor of Law Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Pskov State University 180000, Russia, Pskov, Lenin Square, 2, office 1 a.serebryakova@inbox.ru

Tsaregradskaya Yuliya Konstantinovna Doctor of Law Professor of the Department of Financial Law, Moscow State Law University named after O.E. Kutafin (MSAL) 125993, Russia, Moscow, Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya str., 9 ukmsal@mail.ru

Traditional family values, rural way of life are being subjected to the strongest tests today. Traditional family values include moral values, cultural traditions, family foundations, identity – civil, national, geographical. Traditional family values are under threat today. The urbanization of society, the digitalization of the economy are forcing people to leave the village, go to the city, not even just to the city – to megacities – large cities. There is really more freedom of choice in all the opportunities that are provided to a person today – both educational, cultural, and professional. It is not uncommon to hear that the family has died, now it is easier and easier to survive alone, without being burdened with the bonds of marriage and children. And when this is often talked about and a mass audience is used to make statements about the family crisis, it may seem that this is how it is. But is it so? And should it be so? And can we resist it?

Challenges and temptations face a modern family in the countryside. And the question is whether to strengthen and continue to maintain rural family traditions, or vice versa - to neglect them and form new habits and, possibly, new traditions.

Traditional family values and the peasant way of life and management are under threat. Families of the previous generation left some villages, that is, parents still lived and worked in the village, and children were already born in the city and sometimes there was no one left in the village, even grandparents or other relatives.

But there is also a reverse trend – people return to the village, or for the first time they get from the metropolis to rural silence, people are tired of civilization, frenzied rhythm, traffic jams, eternal time pressure. They have achieved everything, have a job and a salary, but they do not feel happy. Indeed, today there are such unfavorable factors for the family as orientation to the cult of consumption, careerism, cynicism and selfishness, spiritual impoverishment, hence the devaluation of moral and family values, the loss of family traditions, which threatens a real catastrophe for a full-fledged human society.

Therefore, today there is an urgent need to strengthen the institution of the family and family values (moral, spiritual, cultural, social), that is, customs, traditions, norms of behavior and moral views that are passed down from generation to generation through millennia and centuries. The family is the foundation of society, performing many social functions, it is in the family that a personality is formed, the main spiritual and moral values are instilled, such as the concept of love, honor, kindness, patriotism, therefore it is important not to lose the established traditions.

It is necessary to help young people and young families to realize the importance of family and family education, to form family values, correct attitudes and moral norms, to introduce them to family traditions, which will create and preserve a happy family.

What are the main reasons for the outflow of people from the village? The reasons are mainly unemployment, low wages, poor medicine. With the advent of new technologies that can enhance the effect of presence, for example, telemedicine, it is possible to overcome the remote difficulties of contact with the necessary specialists. Money can also be earned in rural areas, while overcoming unemployment and low wages, since self-employment and self-financing are taking place. Modern digital technologies make it possible to overcome many technical barriers, simplify heavy unproductive work, freeing up time for rest and self-development.

Let us turn to the analysis of existing measures of state support for agricultural activities both in the Russian Federation and abroad.

For the development of agricultural production, both federal and regional programs are provided to support rural producers, subsidizing loans to support personal farmsteads, family farms

Subsidizing agriculture is the most discussed topic not only in Russia, but also in the EU and China, which is explained by the peculiarities of agricultural production, which is of great importance for the development of the national economy. It is believed that classical economic theory considers agricultural subsidies as a means of reducing the productivity of this branch of the national economy ^[1]. However, there are also opposing points of view indicating that subsidies can contribute to increasing agricultural productivity in conditions of imperfect credit or insurance markets ^{[2, 3, 4]}. In particular, subsidies can help to overcome the financial constraints of farmers (directly by increasing the financial resources of the farmer and indirectly by improving access to credit), which can increase the productivity of farms ^[5]. In China, for example, agricultural subsidies are aimed at stimulating the lease of agricultural land and supporting farming ^[6]. The total amount of agricultural subsidies in China's grain sector increased from about 138 billion yuan to 165 billion yuan. yuan in the period 2011-2015. Agricultural subsidies in China can be divided into four major groups: direct subsidies for grain, subsidies for high-quality seeds, subsidies for agricultural machinery and complex subsidies for inputs. Three types of subsidies - a direct subsidy for grain, a subsidy for high-quality seeds and a subsidy for complex costs are provided directly to farmers who grow crops, and a subsidy for machinery is provided to farmers when purchasing agricultural machinery ^[6].

State support for the development of agriculture is regulated in Russia by Federal Law No. 264-FZ of December 29, 2006 "On the Development of Agriculture". This law establishes the main directions of state support for agriculture. Experts pay attention to the fact that state support is mainly carried out in the form of subsidies. In the Russian budget legislation , subsidies are present in two aspects: 1) the form of inter-budget transfers; 2) the type of budget allocations allocated to legal entities and individuals, as well as individual entrepreneurs. In the Russian theory and practice of budget financing, there is no unambiguous opinion on the effectiveness of subsidies as a form of financing public expenditures.

In foreign scientific literature, various forms of budget expenditures in the form of subsidies are considered: direct cash payments (subsidies) and indirect subsidies, which are represented by: reduction of tax liabilities, preferential loans, provision of goods and (or) services at below-market prices, public procurement of goods or services in order to stimulate any type of activity ^[10].  There is no unified position on the effectiveness of subsidies as a source of financing expenses abroad ^{[2, 3, 7, 8]}. In particular, Brenner T. and Pudelko F. It is noted that state subsidies have a positive impact on the regional economy in less innovative and economically weak regions, and in economically strong regions - a minor or even negative impact ^[8].

Another way to support traditional values is to support the sustainable development of rural areas by the state. The question arises whether traditional family values should be maintained. It is obvious that support will lie in the area of political will, but is it possible to talk about the permissibility of supporting the family, family work, peasant way of life as traditional values.  Wouldn't this be regarded as a violation of the rights of other citizens, for example, people who don't want (or can't) start a family and raise children? We believe that traditional values should be fully supported by the state, as they are the key to the stability of the state, correspond to the biological and social needs of a person. Naturally, no infringement of the rights of dissidents should be allowed. But the desired development of society must be determined and supported by the state.

On the other hand, it is worth bearing in mind the risk of excessive state interference in a person's personal life. This is surmountable, in cases where the limits of such interference are clearly fixed by the norms of law.

Subsidies and the principles of subsidies, in particular, co-financing, can be used not only to support agricultural production and ensure food security, but also extended to support the sustainable development of rural areas ^[9].  

In addition, there may be other forms of rural development, for example, the provision of funds on a competitive basis, grants. For example, in Russia there is an information portal "Zemsky Uchitel", it allows teaching staff to find open vacancies in cities and towns with a population of less than 50 thousand people. The winners of the competitive selection who have concluded an employment contract will receive a one-time payment of 1 million rubles (2 million rubles in the Far Eastern Federal District).

Currently, agricultural commodity production is supported, the main way of state support is subsidizing. Support for rural life as such should be provided through improving the infrastructure of rural areas, organizing medical care, educational services for rural residents and their children. The state carries out certain activities in this direction, but conceptually this support is not defined.

State support in the form of subsidies for the development of agricultural production has a number of pros and cons. Among the important arguments against state support of agricultural production are violation of WTO requirements, market imbalances, distortion of competitiveness. State support for rural development does not distort the market situation, such measures are included in the so-called green basket according to the Marrakesh Agreement. And the Russian hinterland is in dire need of an infusion of funds into infrastructure. Abandoned villages are not a profitable object for private investment, but the state can and should fulfill its functions for the development of its territories. And of course, the general principles of subsidizing are quite in demand for state support of sustainable development of rural areas. Specific mechanisms of state support can be specified depending on the need. Providing subsidies to citizens living in rural areas and moving to rural areas can be an excellent start for the development of both citizens themselves, increasing their human capital, and rural areas. The scientific and technological revolution, which brought the possibilities of communication between remote territories, telemedicine, computer medical technologies, the possibility of organizing galaprojections and augmented reality presence at premieres in the theater or at a concert, without the risk of contracting infections, etc., should be considered as an advantage for the development of rural areas.

We also come to the conclusion that the state should defend traditional values, such as family, family work, being a tradition itself, carefully using the stimulating and educational functions of law.