The research was carried out in order to study the state of human resource development in agriculture of the Republic of Tatarstan, the current causes and factors affecting the training of personnel and the provision of them in the industry. The work was carried out on the basis of data from the state statistics bodies, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Tatarstan, as well as the results of their own observations and surveys. In 2015-2019, the number of employees in agricultural enterprises of the republic decreased by 5.9 %. The largest decrease during this period occurred in such professions as tractor drivers (by 24.3%), machine milking operators (25.5%), pig workers (26.3 %) and sheep workers (57.5 %). In general, the number of people employed in agriculture decreased by 34.5 thousand people, which, on the one hand, was the result of the processes of consolidation and automation of production, on the other, due to the ongoing urbanization. In the last 5 years alone, the city's population has grown by 3.6 %, while the rural population has decreased by 0.6 %. There are also problems in the higher education system. Today, about 25 % of the chief specialists (agronomists, veterinarians, accountants) do not have a higher education. There is an increase in the number of bachelor's degree students in the humanities and social areas to 37.5 and 32.7%, respectively, with the share of graduates in agricultural areas of training about 3 % of all graduates. According to the authors ' personal opinion, the increase in the active load on university teachers, as well as their distraction from the main educational classroom work, as well as the lack of professional standards in agricultural specialties that take into account the specifics of the industry, do not contribute to the training of competent specialists