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Summary The development of rural areas is a complex social, economic, political and cultural issue of immense importance to the development of society as a whole. The vitality of rural communities, which represent a specific socio-spatial phenomenon, affects the development of global society and is inextricably linked to the development and issues of urban areas of each society. Both in theory and development practice, rural development as a complex and enduring process has long been unjustifiably reduced to the economic-agrarian matrix, often reflected in the modernization of agriculture and the centralized and sectoral management of and influence on rural development. The primary focus of this paper is on the social capital of rural communities, i.e. social relations and connections within local rural communities which, alongside other important development factors, are one of the prerequisites to maintaining their vitality. The paper presents the results of a survey on social capital conducted on 281 farms in the region of Vojvodina (Serbia), indicating the characteristics of the social capital on the farms considered and the farmers’ attitudes towards the development and life of their local communities. The social capital of the surveyed farmers was found to be only relatively good, suggesting that the overall social capital in Serbia is underdeveloped because all the farms considered are located in Vojvodina, i.e. the most developed agricultural area in Serbia characterized by rural settlements with the most favorable infrastructural, demographic and economic conditions.

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The paper analyzes the characteristics of family life of households on selected farms in the area of AP Vojvodina based on the results of the evaluation of the extension service activities. The evaluation was done on a representative sample. The aim of the paper is to gain insight into socio-cultural features, the characteristics of the households, the marital contingent, and the distribution of authority, and (gender) division of labour in the holding. It is concluded that some of the characteristics of a rural household, when family life is concerned, have changed, that attitudes about the gender division of work have been evolved, while the practices, however, remained the same, which testifies to their deep rootedness and the matrix of behaviour that is changing rather slowly.

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