The article presents the author’s opinion on the subject of the conceptual approaches in research of the transformations in the agricultural economy. The author believes that agro-industrial clusters may become the most adequate response (as for the choice of the pathway for further reforming of the Russian agricultural industry) in the conditions of general inland economic instability and constantly changing external economic challenges, including the policy of food sanctions.The article dwells on both theoretical and practical aspects of the formation of agro-industrial clusters in the system of national economy; the main peculiarities of agro-industrial clusters have been noted. At the same time, the author develops her hypothesis of formal organizational and structural modelling of regional agro-industrial clusters on the basis of the approach stipulating the preservation of multistructurality in the agricultural sphere of national economy.