Introduction. The relevance of the scientifi c substantiation of approaches to ensuring the sustainable development of the agro-food system is due to the growing impact of environmental factors on the internal structural balance and the target setting of the agro-food system. The sustainable development of the national agro-food system has begun to imply economic growth in order to achieve indicators of the physical and economic accessibility of quality food for the Russian population. At the same time, environmental priorities increasingly has begun to fade into the background, which contradicts the basic principles of the concept of sustainable development, which implies the unity of economic, social and environmental aspects. Research methodology. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is a systematic approach, the main provisions of which give grounds to consider the agro-food complex as a complex, dynamic and multi-level system of interconnected elements and diverse ordered relationships between them. Theoretical analysis. The article considers and systematizes theoretical approaches to the interpretation of the concept of “agro-food system”. The structural features of the agro-food complex as a system are highlighted. The stages of the reproduction process in all sectors of the agro-industrial complex are characterized through the prism of the economic, social and environmental components of the concept of sustainable development. Empirical analysis. Using a systematic approach, the infl uence of external and internal factors on the main criteria for the sustainability of the agro-food system has been studied. A conceptual framework for analyzing the resilience of agro-food systems in relation to external infl uences is presented. Potential for sustainability, adaptation and management are considered with regard to agro-food system. Conclusions. The relationship between the basic principles of ensuring the sustainability of agro-food systems and aspects of food security is revealed. The properties that are most signifi cant for maintaining the sustainability of the agro-food system under the constant infl uence of external risks are identified.