The purpose of the article is to explore the potential of the existing human capital of agriculture of Ukraine; identify the most decisive factors in managing its development and ensuring the quality of life of the rural population; characterize existing approaches to managing personnel development in agricultural enterprises; justify a set of innovative approaches to human capital development at different levels of government.

Research methods. Methodological basis of the study was the position of economic theory and system analysis. Quantitative indicators of livelihoods of rural population, production volumes of gross value added of agriculture and others were determined using the statistical-economic method. The correlation method of analysis was applied to establish the quantitative impact of human capital development factors on the gross value added of agriculture. The design and construction method, comparison and graphical analysis were used to evaluate the factors of human capital development and increase the life of the rural population. Using the logistic-heuristic method, in particular, the method of expert evaluation, evaluated innovative approaches in managing human capital development in agricultural enterprises. The substantiation of the main factors of human capital development management was carried out by the methods of systematization and generalization. The argumentation of theoretical propositions and the conclusions drawn regarding the prospects for the development of human capital in Ukraine at different levels of government is based on a systematic approach and an abstract-logical method.

Research results. The potential of human capital increase of the rural population of Ukraine is estimated by calculating the livelihood fund as a product of population size and life expectancy. It has been found that the creation of gross value added in agriculture is three times higher per unit of labor compared to other sectors of the country's economy. The results of solving the correlation-regression model show that the biggest impact on the increase in agricultural productivity in recent years has been paid by wages. The basic approaches in the management of human capital development, which are applied in agricultural enterprises of different organizational and legal forms: the agricultural holdings for the high efficiency of the human capital development management resort to the creation of their own universities; other enterprises develop human capital in accordance with organizational, economic and legal factors.

Scientific novelty. The study made it possible to identify the peculiarities of management of the development of human capital of agriculture, the essence of which reflects its dualistic nature: the increase in the production of gross agricultural production is carried out simultaneously with a decrease in the livelihood of the rural population, increasing productivity at the rate of one employed in the rural and low of human capital. This leads to a reduction in the wages of the peasants and is insufficient to offset labor costs and to restore health, which in the aggregate forms a system of indicators of the quality of life of the rural population and its low standard of living. 

Practical significance. The importance of managing human capital development for improving the life quality of the rural population is proved. The necessity of systematic selection of approaches to the development of human capital at different levels of government is justified: state, economic entities and individuals. The implementation of the proposed measures will increase the human capital of agriculture and will significantly improve the quality of life of the rural population.