The future of Russian agriculture and rural community depends on the willingness of skilled workers to accept conditions of village life and the demands of agricultural work. Surveys of potential rural specialists indicate that they are concerned about the lack of up-to-date technologies, the difficult working conditions and low prestige of agricultural work, the lack of social and cultural amenities in Russian villages, and the difficulty of finding a spouse willing to accept rural life. There is an acute need to enhance the prestige of agricultural labor in all social groups. (Contains 9 tables.) [This article was translated by Kim Braithwaite.]