The article systematizes the provisions on strategic planning of rural development. It was noted that it is important to take into account when developing a strategy for the development of rural areas that they can be represented by homogeneous and heterogeneous rural municipal areas. The recommended content of the main part of the Strategy should include the following sections: assessment of the achieved goals of socio-economic development of the municipality and the results of the strategic analysis; mission, goals and objectives of social and economic development of the municipal district; scenarios and indicators of achievement of the goals of social and economic development of the municipal district; directions of social and economic policy of the municipal district; the mechanism for implementing the Strategy. The proposed innovative approach to the development of the strategy of socio-economic development of the territory was tested in the preparation of strategies of socio-economic development of 4 districts of the Voronezh region: Ternovsky, Vorobyevsky, Talovsky, Repyevsky.