The article deals with the problems of sustainable development of agricultural sector in the Republic of Kazakhstan; the analysis of the development of the agro-industrial complex; the problems of ensuring the sustainability of agriculture are emphasized and analyzed. Agriculture has historically been the backbone of Kazakhstan's economy. This is mainly due to the difference in natural and climatic conditions and the presence of vast areas of desert and semi-desert pasture land. In the modern period, the agrarian sector of the country is forced to function in the conditions of severe degradation of agricultural lands, the increase of environmental and water problems, the use of physically and morally outdated equipment and technology. Environmental problems related with agricultural activities include: depletion and degradation of soil due to past state programs, erosion, secondary salinization and flooding; lack of water; degradation of pastures caused by overgrazing and incomplete use/abandonment of more remote pastures; soil contamination with chemicals; and reduced biodiversity, for example, water biodiversity of the Aral Sea. In connection with the normative of inefficient use of agricultural land fixed in Kazakhstan, the necessity in the improvement of the mechanisms for managing the turnover of agricultural land requires the study of positive foreign practices in regulating land relations.