The article systematizes the methodological principles and highlights the priority areas of research in the agricultural sector of the economy, taking into account the factors of external and internal environment of its development. The key challenges facing the world and national agricultural sphere are analyzed and systematized, among which the starvation of a large part of the world's population and its poverty, which are also inherent in Ukraine, are considered in detail. It is emphasized that the common challenges of food security in the world and in individual countries imply differences in approaches to their solution. It is proved that solving problems and overcoming challenges is mediated through transformations and changes that have taken place and will continue to take place in the agricultural sector of Ukraine. The main ones are: global climate change, the COVID-2019 pandemic, elections to local governments, regional councils and councils of enlarged districts and local councils of united territorial communities, the opening of the land market, etc. The priority directions of scientific researches in the agrarian sector of economy are substantiated, which are first of all connected with the following tasks: food security, increase of stability in the conditions of development turbulence, maintenance of innovative and sustainable development, increase of competitiveness of agro-food chains, sustainable development of united territorial communities. agricultural production, improving the quality of the rural population life and others. It is established that modern science has formed a powerful methodological and methodological potential, which allows to successfully solve the problem of creating models to support decision-making on the strategic development of any economic system, including agricultural sector of the economy. It is argued that rational scenarios for the long-term development of the agricultural sector can be obtained only on the basis of a reasonable combination of different methodological approaches, models and methods of research in the agricultural sector. The main models of support and decision-making for the strategic development of the agricultural sector as a socio-economic system are identified: data analysis methods (Data Mining), scenario method, simulation models, Monte Carlo method, data mining methods, methods of intellectual and cognitive modeling. 

 Keywords: agricultural sector, methodology, priority scientific researches, territorial communities, agriculture, food industry.