Young people are increasingly choosing rural areas to live. That's what attracts them there

The HEAD of state, during a recent working trip to the Mogilev region, once again paid attention to the “Village of the Future” project, noting: “In order to detain people in rural areas, they need to create conditions.” We are talking not only about comfortable housing and jobs with decent wages, but also about landscaping. And this is the presence of parks and squares, asphalt roads, repaired and built social and sports facilities. 7 Days correspondents looked at what agricultural towns in different parts of the country that claim the title of “Village of the Future” look like today.

The “Village of the Future” project was first discussed at the initiative of the President more than five years ago. ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO then rightly noted: it is impossible to stop the movement of villagers to cities without increasing the standard of living in the villages.

“Every regional center, agricultural town and village should have good roads, high-quality water, social services, provision of necessary goods, as well as the Internet, preferably high-speed,” he noted during a meeting on the agricultural sector in 2018, adding that the living conditions there should not be inferior to urban ones.

The government was immediately instructed, together with regional authorities, to develop a mechanism for implementing the new concept “Village of the Future”, taking into account local characteristics. Six addresses in each region of Belarus were chosen to start. In Brest - Ostromechevo, Grodno - Obukhovo, Gomel - Lyaskovichi. In the Vitebsk region, an example was Kopys, in the Mogilev region - Malye Sloveni, in the MINSK region - the agricultural town of Snov.

Today, the project includes more than 170 villages and agricultural towns from almost every region of the country. Settlements are divided into five levels depending on the number of inhabitants: the first - more than 700, the second - 500-700, the third - 200-500, the fourth - 50-200 and the fifth - up to 20 people. They are actively developing production there, not forgetting about the social sphere.

The first point of our business trip to the future was the agricultural town of Poplavy, which is only 8 kilometers from Berezino, Mogilev region. By modern standards, the settlement is small, but comfort is literally noticeable in everything here. Locals assure that their life is no different from the city. Perhaps only for the better: there is more greenery on the street and the air is much cleaner.

At the entrance to Poplavy, the chairman of the village executive committee, Alexey Sarnavsky, is already waiting for us. He volunteered to give us a tour of the agricultural town.

- There are about 445 inhabitants here. In general, everything you need for life is there: a secondary school and a branch of the Berezinsky School of Art, a medical aid station, several shops, a bistro cafe. Relatively recently, a new water tower and well were installed under the Clean Water program. Not all roads are yet paved, but we are trying to keep them in good condition: where necessary, fill them up, grade them, the chairman lists and suggests starting to get acquainted with the agricultural town from school, reasoning: if it is crowded, then the village is alive.

We note to ourselves that the building of the educational institution is large, the stadium with many horizontal bars and a football field is neat. There is a gym and sports halls, and there is an interest association called “Young Tourists”. There are 109 students in the school. Here they provide educational services to two preschool groups, which is another 28 pupils. Children are brought from remote villages by three school buses along four routes. This year, the teaching staff was replenished with two young specialists.

“Active, responsible and very positive guys,” Natalya Severin, deputy DIRECTOR for main activities of the Poplavskaya Secondary School, characterizes them. - The social sphere has improved significantly in recent years, which is why young people are not afraid to go to the village. And our graduates, having received their diplomas, often return to work in their small homeland.

She is supported by her colleague and local resident Wanda Mankovskaya, who was the director of the Poplavskaya school for 34 years before her retirement.

- I came here as a young specialist. I remember how terrible the roads were: Berezinskaya Street would be washed away by the rain - it was impossible to pass or pass. And now there is asphalt all around, we live like in a city,” she says. - The only thing missing is a bathhouse and a laundry room, which worked previously. I would like to return them. Maybe young people don’t need this bathhouse , but I remember how our old people enjoyed visiting it.

Graduates who arrived at their first jobs this year really like Poplavy: the agricultural town is modern and just a 10-minute drive from the regional center, no more than 100 kilometers from the capital.

- I come from Berezino. After graduating from the Minsk Pedagogical Institute, she returned here. I entered the target field because I knew: I would go to work in my native place, where I don’t want to leave,” smiles primary school teacher Yulia Buraya. - Poplavy can safely be called the village of the future; it has long been no longer similar to the villages from the Soviet past. It is interesting to work in our school, and its equipment is at a high level. Not every agricultural town has a robotics classroom, but here you can. And the kids are all so smart and well-mannered! They really like to gain knowledge. This is the best reward for a teacher.

This year, another agricultural town in the Poplavsky village council began to sparkle with bright colors. We are talking about Mikulichi, where regional “Dazhynki” took place in September. According to Alexey Sarnavsky, this settlement can also be considered a village of the future. After all, here there is everything for a comfortable life for the villagers.

- The agricultural town is small, but very cozy. Everything is nearby: post office, school, first aid station, several shops,” explains the chairman of the Poplavsky village council. - All the streets in the village have been paved for a long time, and this year they installed stopping points.

Of the several stores operating in Mikulichi, one is private. Its owner, local businessman Alexander Burlyaev, assures that the preferences of local buyers are the simplest: bread, MILK , groceries. Although the range of local retail outlets is much wider than listed.

- I started the business in 2019 with five “squares”, and recently moved to this building, the opportunity arose to add goods. There are also basic necessities, vegetables, fruits , fish, and sweets. The villagers know when they bring fresh bread and milk. There are enough buyers, because the village is lively, there are large, young families,” says the entrepreneur, noting that for complete happiness in Mikulichi, perhaps more recreation areas for children would not hurt.

At the exit from the outlet we meet Lyudmila Plis, a mother of many children, she ran in to buy bread for lunch.

- Viktorovna, correspondents from Minsk are interested in: what is it like to live in the countryside? - Alexey Sarnavsky smiles.

“It’s pure pleasure in something like ours,” the mother of five children answers without hesitation. - Children go to school, to different clubs, sports sections. We have very good doctors. You can buy medicines at the first aid station and not have to travel to the regional center if you are sick. As a mother of many children, I received a good-quality house from the agricultural enterprise where I work. We took out a small loan for it, but a year ago we paid everything off, and today the housing is our property.

The “Village of the Future” project includes more than 170 villages and agricultural towns. Settlements are divided into five levels depending on the number of inhabitants.

Last year, the Ministry of Economy developed the concept of state policy for regional development of Belarus, paying great attention to the “Village of the Future” project. One of the main priorities is increased social standards for comfortable living in rural areas. The concept of regional development includes two important blocks: economic and social. In each of the regions, it is possible to make it not only comfortable to live in, but also to increase their investment attractiveness. The essence of the economic block is the preferences provided by the state. The less developed the region is economically, the greater the number of these preferences.

There are minimum social standards in Belarus. They are aimed at healthcare, education, transport, and regulate the housing and communal services system.

Opinions

Chairman of the Vornyansky village council of the Ostrovets district of the Grodno region Alexander Verbovich:

- The status of “Village of the Future” is very important and at the same time responsible. Our agricultural town of Vornyany, home to 1,300 people, is still on its way to this title. A lot has already been done: reconstruction of buildings, asphalting of roads, gasification of the populated area are underway. All water supply systems have been transferred to the housing and communal services, and a treatment plant has been launched. In recent years, several projects have been implemented in Vornyany to improve the territories of the architectural complex of the gazebo tower and park.

All conditions have been created for the population - from housing to jobs. On the territory of the village there is a dairy farm , a grain drying complex and a machine yard of a local agricultural enterprise. In Vornyany there is a kindergarten and a secondary school, a center for training, advanced training and retraining of workers of the agriculture and food department of the district executive committee, a social and pedagogical center, a club, a branch of a children's art school, a library, a general practitioner's outpatient clinic, a cafe, a post office, a department bank, four shops. I think this is enough to make residents feel comfortable. This was precisely the task set by the head of state.

Chairman of the Lelchitsy District Council of Deputies of the Gomel Region Tatyana Bespalaya:

- The agricultural town of Glushkovichi is one of the largest settlements in the region. About two thousand people live here. There are approximately 300 students in the school, and about 100 students in the kindergarten. There is a city-forming enterprise - a crushed stone plant, an agricultural enterprise, a forestry, which provide jobs for the population. There is also a dispensary and a post office market. Private business has developed. This is one of the few villages in which you will not find a single empty house. Moreover, Glushkovichi is located 60 kilometers from the regional center, near the border with Ukraine.

New houses are being built in the village every year. More than 200 young and over 70 large families live here. As you know, the future of the village lies with the youth. If we stop attracting her, we will lose the village. It is very important to create conditions so that people want to live and work in rural areas, and today this is one of the most important tasks set by the President. The “Village of the Future” project is aimed precisely at its implementation.

Marina VALAKH,

photo - Tatiana MATUSEVICH,

newspaper "7 days".