Development of Small forms of Farming in the Agricultural Sector: Trends and Outlook

The purpose of the article is to analyze trends and prospects for the development of small forms of management in agriculture of the Russian Federation. Statistical and economic, monographic, computational, and constructive research methods were used in the course of the study, as well as an information base including data from the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, articles in peer-reviewed Russian and foreign periodicals. The paper analyses the current state and developmental trends of small forms of farming in the agricultural economy. There is a tendency in the Russian Federation to reduce their number, except for individual entrepreneurs, with an increase in the area of agricultural land in them. The size of agricultural production in small forms of farming varies sharply. Small agricultural enterprises are the largest, and households are the smallest. The production of labor-intensive products is mainly concentrated in small forms of management. They produce 83.4% of potatoes, 78.8% of vegetables, 81.8% of fruits and berries, 84.8% of wool, and almost 99% of honey. The study identified the aspects, forms, and scope of government support of small forms of farming and determined its role in the development of agriculture. A typical description of small forms of farming in agriculture is small commodity production, moderate level of mechanization and high labor intensity, high quality (organic) production with minor use of mineral fertilizers and chemical pesticides, challenges in marketing the product, and low levels of government support. Priorities were substantiated in the development of small businesses, peasant (private) farms, and individual entrepreneurs.