The aim of the study is to develop theoretical and methodological approaches regarding the interpretation of the concept "farm".

Research methods. For theoretical and methodological base of the research taken from the works of Russian and foreign scientists concerning interpretation of the concept of "farm".. the study used modern methods of scientific and economic knowledge of the socio-economic phenomena and sank: historical and monographic, dialectical and abstract-logical, graphical, etc.

Active formation of farms that started in 1992, in 1998 slowed significantly, part of the generated entities have ceased their business activity. Hasty and not always prudent conduct of agrarian reforms, the presence of administrative barriers and other negative phenomena not allowed in short time to achieve an acceptable level of performance of production farms. This was due not only to the economic crisis that affects the entire national economy, but also the lack of the concept of development of the farm sector in the overall structure of a mixed economy the agricultural sector.

It is established that according to the law of Ukraine “On the farm” farming is a form of entrepreneurial activity of citizens with the creation of a legal entity wishing to produce marketable agricultural products, to do its processing and marketing with the purpose of gaining profit on the land granted to them for farming.

In this context, I will draw a distinction between the concept of "private farm" and "farm" and the differences between them.

It is revealed that in recent years, land use PF provided or expanded at the expense of the lands granted outside of the residential development. In the 60-ies of the last century, it was due to the compacted construction: construction in rural areas of apartment buildings without gardens, or the erection of cottages with small-sized garden plots and making orchards and gardens outside the housing. Now it is also associated with the inability to expand the area of the infield, given the characteristics of rural settlements and uncontested opportunity to increase land use in PF only by field land, including land share.

It is established that farmland because it is close to home, is one rural family. The legal status of the infield and field wear for PF are the same. The process of allocation of field plots is called the "extension of plots of land". Another thing, if it is allocated by local authorities for individual pastures, that is, it is available for rent at the expense of lands of the state reserve. Garden and vegetable plots, unlike a household, a family may be few.

Revealed that specialize in horticultural and gardening partnerships is almost exclusively vegetal products. PF usually have a multidisciplinary character, where in addition to get crop and livestock products.

Analyzes that, despite the adoption of the law regulating the activities of the farm (PF), their level of legal security has remained low. Determine identification characteristics PF is expressed rather weakly. When attempting a classification of the array of farms in domestic practice were not taken into account the international experience and approaches that have been used successfully in the management bodies of the European Union.

Revealed that a significant number of small farms in the General population of farms is a well-recognized phenomenon in most countries of the world. In order to highlight the natural economy in a separate category, which has specific economic nature and clearnt, in statistics, the EU introduced the concept of "agricultural activity" (agricultural activity), which is determined by the "threshold" level of production (output threshold).

The experience of Poland, where family farmers are exempt from paying pension contributions during the economic activities. In addition, Poland has programs to encourage the development of small family farms, in particular: subsidies for young farmers, assistance in establishing cooperatives, co-pay for the restructuring of small farms and support for starting a business.

In the process of doing the research the author came to the conclusion about the advisability of introducing at the legislative level of the criterion threshold of agricultural activity that allows you to private households from an array of traditional farmers, which will allow to exclude the understanding of farming as a form of massive small business.

It is revealed that even the country's "solid fermezza" – the United States, a large number of farmers and their families live mainly on the income from postermarker activities. And although they, as noted by B. L. Chebanov M. "are on the periphery of American agriculture and are in fact the households of their owners", but are quite common and are referred to in the literature as the "farm-villas" or "hobby farm".

Key words: farm, private farm, farm, agricultural producers.