Introduction. Small business in agriculture is essential and is a factor of development of the competitive relations in modern Russia. Today there is a complex of the various problems interfering strengthening of a role of small enterprises in agriculture. Empirical analysis. Indicators of technical equipment of agricultural producers and load of agricultural machinery across Russia are compared with similar data on the developed countries and the conclusion is drawn on considerable lag of the Russian agrarian sector from this countries. The analysis of activity of JSC Rosagroleasing, has allowed to reveal shortcomings of work of the company and to formulate offers concerning development of the market of leasing in Russia to which number dispersal of the state capital and further extension of the offer in the market of preferential leasing and crediting of agricultural producers for purchase of agricultural machinery belong; expansion of base of the offer of agricultural machinery for leasing. Conclusion. Modernization of agricultural small business enterprises assumes carrying out complex actions for three main directions: to updating of material and technical resources of small enterprises; to introduction of innovative technologies in agricultural production; modernizations of management of small enterprises. The condition of material and technical resources of the agricultural enterprises can be estimated as unsatisfactory.