The article examines the process of reforming peasant land use in Russia in the XIX-th - early XX-th centuries. Particular attention is paid to the fact that the agricultural sector was undergoing a transition to new farming methods. Many landowners' estates and some peasant households began to grow herbaceous and forage plants, introducing clover into the crop rotation structure. The most progressive landowners switched to using multi-field systems of farming. After the abolition of serfdom, the legal status of former enslaved rural residents underwent significant changes. While maintaining ties with society, peasants gained independence and certain civil rights: they were allowed to engage in commerce, establish enterprises, and buy land and buildings. The reforms that started with the abolition of serfdom in 1861 significantly brought the legal status of state and former serf peasants closer together. Officially, we can talk about granting peasants full rights to the land plots allocated to them. However, communal land ownership limited their initiative, not allowing them to freely trade and manage land, and actual ownership was limited and temporary.