Agricultural Functions of Town in Conditions of Low Indicators of Natural Resource Potential

   Aim. To identify the presence and importance of the functions of small towns for agriculture, including for additional income for the population, due to low living standards in regions with low indicators of natural resource potential.

   Methodology. Based on systematic observations and statistical information verified during the 2023–2024 expeditionary studies in small towns of the subjects of the Federation bordering the Republic of Belarus, the current state of agricultural production in small towns has been studied. The available conditions of the state and development of agriculture in the urban environment are assessed.

   Results. The modern functions of a small town are revealed for small towns in the Non-Chernozem zone that are in a state of constant depopulation of the population, with high rates of the proportion of citizens of retirement age and low incomes of the majority of citizens. Based on the survey, the reasons for the use of personal utility plots in the city were identified: traditions, low incomes, the need to harvest products for the winter due to an insufficient assortment in stores, and assistance to children living in other regions. Based on the verification of agricultural data, the main directions of agriculture in groups of small towns are clarified; the relationship with agro-climatic conditions (physical and geographical location of the city), established traditions (for example, Demidov as an important center of cucumber production), and transport accessibility to large ("metropolitan") cities is shown. The efficiency of production in private subsidiary farms is calculated; the importance of a small town in the formation of efficiency is shown.

   Research implications. The factors characterizing the influence of a small town on the development of agriculture both within the city limits and within the surrounding territories are determined. It has been established that during the period of the depressive development of the territorial economy, the influence of the natural and climatic factor on the differentiation of specialization of urban agriculture by latitude is minimal. Possible trends in the development of the agricultural sector in small towns are shown.

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