摘要 : Large agricultural enterprises account for more than 90% of total agricultural output in Russia's Orenburgskaya Oblast'. The average size of farms in the oblast's northern zone is significantly smaller than the oblast' average, an... 展开 Large agricultural enterprises account for more than 90% of total agricultural output in Russia's Orenburgskaya Oblast'. The average size of farms in the oblast's northern zone is significantly smaller than the oblast' average, and farms in the northern zone also have lower levels of labour and equipment resources available to them. By grouping grain farms in the oblast' according to their levels of provision of energy, labour and capital resources, the influence that these resources have on the utilization of production potential was identified. Changes in the structure and productivity of crops in the last ten years have impacted on grain production in Orenburgskaya Oblast'. Between 1994 and 2003, total annual grain production increased from 2 288 400 tonnes to 3 114 000 tonnes, or by 36.8%. In the same period, the land area used for grain production was reduced by 211 000 ha (7.4%). The growth in production levels was therefore achieved through an increase in average crop yields (from 690 kg/ha to 1000 kg/ha). The main reason for changes in the structure of sowings of agricultural crops appears to have been diversification of production, with an increased emphasis on plant production and a reduction in livestock numbers. An overall shift in focus towards the production of more productive grain crops, producing higher returns and involving lower production costs, was observed on farms in the oblast'. However without fundamental changes in technologies and organization of production, further growth in agricultural production cannot be expected. A computer modelling exercise was carried out in order to identify optimum sizes and structures for production potential in Orenburgskaya Oblast's grain production sector. Calculations were carried out using actual production indicators for 2003, and also using variants in which farms possessed different levels of production resources (labour, capital and land). The economic effects of changing these aspects of production potential were investigated. 收起