Ukraine has a large amount of land that can be used for the production of agricultural products, but there is a tendency to worsen the standard of living and reduce the level of social security in rural areas. The main directions of state regulation of agriculture in Ukraine, according to the authors, are the introduction and development of various measures aimed at reducing the disparity in prices for industrial and agricultural products, creating conditions for food security for basic types of food, implementing effective land reform, training labor resources for agricultural enterprises, transforming socio-cultural infrastructure in rural areas, creating effective market and transport infrastructure in rural areas, the use of price and customs regulators to effectively support domestic agricultural producers. Ensuring the stable development of the agricultural sector of the economy requires certain efforts focused on the development of the socio-economic sphere of rural areas. The development of rural areas requires conditions for the activation of activities in rural areas that are not related to the production of agricultural products (tourism, electricity production from renewable energy sources, folk crafts), increasing the level of efficiency in using the natural and labor potential of rural areas, improving the quality of medical services for the rural population and improving the functioning of the rural socio-cultural sphere.