The article analyzes the problems that arise in the implementation of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 731 dated 05/14/2021. The contradictions that are inevitable when agricultural land is being withdrawn from circulation are noted. These are contradictions of a natural, economic, and social nature. The differences in the use of land in different regions of the country are analyzed, the reasons for the differences in the intensity of agricultural production are revealed. The need indicated by the Decree to bring the area of arable land to the pre-reform level in some regions of the Russian Federation raises reasonable doubts. There is a lack of interest in the development of agriculture in a number of regions. This applies mainly to the territories included in the zone of risky farming. Over the past 30 years, in addition to quantitative changes in the composition of land, there have also been qualitative changes in the composition of soils, the structure of acreage, the organization of agricultural production, a significant reduction and aging of labor resources, and a large-scale reduction in the number of large agricultural enterprises. It proves the impossibility and senselessness of increasing land areas without developing comprehensive programs for the development of agricultural industries in the regions or individual municipalities. Along with the expansion of acreage, it will also require the development of other industries, an increase in the number of farm animals, the construction of new livestock facilities, and solving the problems of attracting labor resources. The lack of systematic studies of the placement of unused land within the boundaries of the subject also does not allow us to give unambiguous answers about the actual use of land, the possibility of involving them in circulation. Options for developing design and forecast documents are being considered, and upcoming costs are being analyzed.