Summarizing the foreign experience in provision of rural development, we can assert that practically in all leading countries, including USA, Germany, France and other, there is a search for efficient solutions aimed at such a development of rural territories, which would provide necessary living conditions for population and motivation of their activities in agricultural industry.

The evolution of rural development policy has passed several stages, basing on three concepts, each of them having its own development model: branch model, redistribution model and territorial model.

1. The branch model of rural development considers development of agriculture as its main task. According to branch model, the main power in rural management belongs to the authorities subordinated to the ministries of agriculture, because the agrarian sector is controlled by the state in the developed countries (the production volume, its allocation, products assortment and quality and so on are regulated). That is why one of the features of the branch model was high level of functions, resources and power centralization in the management of agrarian sector and rural territories.
2. The redistribution model of rural areas is possible when the agriculture has achieved the food safety level. In the redistribution model, the focus is made on further development of agriculture, diversification of rural economy for development of adjacent and other branches, decrease of climatic influence on economic and social sectors of a village. The transition to the redistribution model was marked by giving over the part of functions and power to other authorities, different from agricultural management.
3. In the territorial model of rural development, the rural area is considered as one natural and social-economic complex, managed as one object, where the local power more than others makes accentuate on the use of internal development reserves, expenditure reduction, stimulation of non-agricultural activities and so on. The system of rural management in the territorial model acquired even more decentralized features due to transfer of part of power and resources to the local self-government. The experience shows that the transfer of the main functions and powers to the local government ensures more efficient solution of the problems. So the supreme authorities getting rid of part of problems in rural development can concentrate on more strategic decisions. In our opinion, such an approach is substantiated and deserves attention of the national authorities forming the rural development policy in Ukraine.

Considering rural development in Ukraine, first of all, it has to be done from the point of view of conditions creation for agricultural production development in villages, on the one hand, and on the other hand, extension of the agricultural market for raw materials and products, promotion of small and medium entrepreneurship. One of the directions of agricultural development stimulation is establishing partner relations between local authorities and agricultural producers. Such experience is available at the successful agrarian enterprises, who provide employment for people, develop the social infrastructure, maintain good salaries and so on. The partnership relations between local authorities and entrepreneurs is favorable for both parts and helps to develop agro-industrial production and to increase the local budgets.

Keywords: rural areas, potential, local government, education, skilled workforce, infrastructure.