The theoretical and methodological foundations of the study of farm development have been revealed in the dissertation. A categorical apparatus has been formed to define the concept of "farms". It is proposed to consider the development of farms as a complex historical process due to the market mechanism of management, social and other needs of society, which allowed to identify the stages of formation of farms in the region.
It has been proven that small-scale management mostly does not provide high efficiency, and therefore requires consolidation, combining efforts for highly productive activities. The farms of Ivano-Frankivsk region are gradually undergoing positive changes in terms of effective development, in particular, increasing the number of agricultural products they produce and making a profit as a result of economic activity.
It has been found that in the process of economic activity farms focus on such principles as: free choice of activity; voluntary involvement of resources of legal entities and individuals without violating the law; independence in carrying out economic activities; possibility to hire employees; free disposal of net income; the possibility of foreign economic activity; full responsibility for the results of activities.
The main features of farming have been singled out, namely: free entrepreneurial activity based on economic mutual benefit; private ownership of the means of production; production isolation and functioning with the status of a legal entity; vague division of labor.
According to the results of the survey, information on the assessment of transformation and efficiency of farms, as well as the state, quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the development of farms in Ivano-Frankivsk region have been summarized.
The conceptual bases of the strategy of farm development in the region have been studied and it is established that the development of a set of measures to identify key areas of activity, resource potential, competitive advantage and effectiveness of strategic management will positively affect the efficiency of farms.
The study analyzes the dynamics of projected changes in agricultural production by farms, which should be focused on an adaptive management system and balance the development in a competitive environment and the fight against large agricultural companies to ensure effective operation.
One of the priority areas of farm development is the modernization of activities, which includes the following basic directions: intensification of cooperation between public authorities, research institutions and farms; expansion of areas of investment attractiveness, financial and credit support of farms; optimization of information and recommendation support of farms. The results of the implementation of directions of development of farms are covered in the following aspects: economic, social, institutional and environmental.
It is determined that the innovative direction of development of farms is the formation of smart specialization of farming and cooperation of farmers, which allows to create on the basis of united territorial communities such production and financial and organizational and technological relations between agrarian business entities, efforts of own potentials are capable to increase competitiveness.
Among the conceptual directions of the strategy of farm development, special attention is paid to the diversification of activities, which is proposed to be considered in the production, technological and marketing aspects.
