The purpose of the article. The aim of the study is to develop conceptual approaches to the functioning of private peasant farms.

Research methods. Theoretical and methodological basis of the research is the work of domestic and foreign scientists on methodological approaches to the typology of economic behavior of personal peasant farms. As a result of the study, modern methods of general scientific and economic knowledge of socio-economic phenomena and processions were used: historical and monographic, dialectical, abstract-logical, graphic, and others.

Main results and conclusions of the study. Among the socio-economic problems of the development of personal peasant economy, a special place belongs to the problem of its profitability, which is closely connected with the methods of realization of the production produced in it. The essence of this peculiarity is that the profitability itself, and otherwise, the economic expediency of conducting an economy, is the main condition for the existence of PF. She defined and will probably determine for a long time not only its existence, but also the structure, size, methods of product sales, general psychological mood and attitude towards it.

The impact of the population's behavior on the economy of the PF has been analyzed. As a result, it is revealed: First, in this sphere a part of the country's social wealth is produced, and secondly, for some groups of population, it allows them to substantially improve their material condition, and thirdly, a part of the population at the same time. employed in social production and personal auxiliary farming.

It is established that family farming is considered as the unity of peasant ownership, production, consumption, biological and social reproduction.

It is proved that the subject of economic behavior in the investigated sphere is a family. It is homogeneous under the conditions of conducting a personal economy, in the family there are common plans for its content. They have different targets and plans for a personal economy, they use different methods to achieve optimal conditions for their conduct.

There are two main reasons that determine the nature of economic behavior of the rural population in the PF: the diversity of needs and opportunities of families, as well as unequal conditions for the management of this household.

It is determined that the most important external factor is interaction with agricultural enterprises, which is the basis for the survival of PF. Relations with them can take a different form depending on their technical and financial condition. The basic models of such relations are investigated.

It is revealed that in addition to the relationship of PF with agricultural enterprises, their economic behavior is significantly influenced by the organization of procurement of products, the possibility of purchasing forages, the availability of economic buildings, equipment with mechanisms, household equipment and tools, landscaping of the site.

It was investigated that the feature of industrial relations in PF is that the labor of family members does not have prices in the form of wages in the labor market. The payment of labor of employees – members of the household is carried out not in the cost of production, but in the final product.

Revenues earmarked for consumption in kind and in cash, at the same time, become expenses for the life support of the family, including for the production of manpower. In family farming, costs and the structure of distribution are primarily formed under the pressure of social goals.

Thus, the purpose of conducting PF is to achieve the necessary level of well-being of a rural household.

The conducted analysis showed that the economic stability of PF is determined by the lack of competition from large agricultural enterprises due to different specialization of production.

Significantly affect the formation of economic behavior of the population socio-economic characteristics of families, primarily because of the needs and level of satisfaction. Family needs depend on the quantitative and socio-demographic composition, the level of education of its members, their moral attitudes.

The main types of PF have been identified and the peculiarities of their functioning, characteristics and conditions of their activity, as well as types of families forming these households have been analyzed.

It is revealed that today, among most rural households, there is a rather slow transformation and adaptation to new economic conditions. Currently, there is a process of recovery of a natural consumer economy and turning it into a small-scale, activation of labor and economic functions of households. Each household combines in its daily activities the features of the commodity and natural-consumer methods, by types of employment and sources of income, uses all the reserves to avoid extreme poverty. Prevalence of a source of life support and a combination of them ultimately determine the type of socio-economic adaptation of the family.

Thus, a private subsidiary and labor peasant economy are far from identical economic formations.

Keeping the main features of the latter, modern private economy is seen as a more complex socio-economic phenomenon, since it deeper into the whole spectrum of social relations. Only a certain part of such farms remains essentially consumer-labor, and most of them are partially or completely part of the market relations.

Key words: personal peasant economy, peasant economy, informal economy, labor peasant economy.