Increasing the level of employment, the quality of life of the rural population, and the accessibility of social services remains a strategically important state task. Further development of the country's agro-industrial complex is possible only under the condition of integrated sustainable development of rural territories. The paper considers the main programs and legislative initiatives for the development of rural areas. The authors describe the directions of state regulation and the volumes of their financing in the framework of the federal target program, as well as identify the current directions of rural development at present.