In the modern socio-economic, political and institutional environment, in the face of new global challenges and threats (sanctions restrictions, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics), which determine high economic and social instability, farmers are gaining special importance in the Russian agricultural economy development because of their inextricable links with rural communities and close incorporating into rural areas. In the presented article, a farm is identified not only as an

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... ently functioning business unit, but also as a socially responsible organizational artifact that acts as a guarantor and driver of sustainable development of rural areas in times of significant fluctuations of the environment. The theoretical novelty of the scientific results lies in the complexity and interdisciplinarity of the conceptual approach to their obtaining, based on the multifunctionality of the studied phenomenon. The applied significance is in the expediency of their use both in the strategic work of the authorities (implementing programs for supporting farming to perform socially significant functions) and in the organization of the activities of farmers themselves in order to increase sustainability of their life (by expanding the performed functions) and the growth of their public image (through integration into rural societies).