Purpose: theoretical and methodological substantiation of economic principles and development of conceptual approaches to ensuring of the effective development of the practice of growing niche crops by agricultural producers and the formation of export potential of its products as the factor of the sustainable development of rural areas in Ukraine. Object: processes of formation of export potential of products of cultivation of niche crops by agricultural producers as the factor of sustainable development of rural areas. Methods of research: analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, abstraction, content-analysis, method of concepts and categories constructing, abstract-logical, monographic, historical-logical, economic-statistical, computational-constructive, economic-mathematical modeling, expert assessments, graphical. Theoretical results: the improved terminological basis of development of the theory of sustainable development of rural areas considering the essence and role of nicheization of activity of agricultural producers as the factor of effective realization of the specified development and the way of prevention and counteraction to negative consequences of destructive influence of climate changes was formed. Practical results: scientific and methodological principles were developed and recommendations were elaborated regarding the formation of favorable conditions for the introduction of niche crops and the formation of export potential of products of its growing by agricultural producers as the direction of diversification of their activities and as the factor of implementation of the sustainable development of rural areas through the niche products producers cooperation, level of their innovativeness enhancing and optimization of directions and forms of state regulation of these processes. Scientific novelty: the logic of the influence of niche crops and the export potential of the products of their cultivation by agricultural producers on the sustainable development of rural regions was substantiated and the sequence of the problem solvation was developed; hierarchy of goals in the sustainable development of rural areas, considering the role of niche crops in its achieving, was formed; criterial signs of niche crops were systematized; the essence and principles of nicheization of agriculture were substantiated; the hierarchical-facet-matrix classification of niche cultures was developed; methodical support of research of the problem was developed. Degree of implementation: Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine; Departments of agro-industrial development of Lviv Regional State Administration and Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration, Zhovkva District State Administration, Zhytomyr District State Administration, Kulykiv Village Council, Hlybochytsia Village Council, Farm "Agro-steppe", Lviv National Agrarian University. Efficiency: the results of the study contribute to improving the efficiency of agricultural producers functioning as a basis for effective implementation of the concept of sustainable development of rural areas. Scope of application: specialized ministries, central and local authorities and self-government bodies, branch management bodies, higher education institutions, advisory structures, agricultural producers.
