Subject. Spatial differentiation of rural municipalities. Objectives. Development and empirical testing of a clustering model aimed at the development of rural areas in an agriculture-focused region. Methods. Comparative, correlational analysis, index modeling. Results. A system of indicators has been developed to reflect production, investment-infrastructure, demographic, and social-labor aspects, and an integral index has been calculated, showing the prerequisites for clustering. Correlation analysis showed that the growth of agricultural production is closely related to investments and wages, but it is not accompanied by an increase in employment, which means the cluster model needs to be expanded beyond primary production. An organizational and economic model of an agro-territorial cluster has been proposed, and a scenario-based assessment of management effects has been carried out. Conclusions. The research results can be used at the regional level when creating programs for spatial development and supporting rural areas.
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