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Foreword -- Abstract -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations and acronyms -- Executive summary -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Farming systems -- Farmers' access to resources -- 4. Farmers' perceptions of agricultural services -- 5. Coping strategies -- 6. Conclusions and implications -- References -- List of tables -- List of boxes -- List of figures

This study examines the impact on farmers of the radical changes in agricultural policy which have taken place in Zambia during the 1990s. Drawing on the findings of a number of participatory surveys and beneficiary assessments, and on quantitative survey data where available, the paper highlights farmers ' own perceptions and priorities regarding constraints to production and the quality of agricultural services. Farming systems and the constraints facing farmers are described both in terms of: resource endowments and allocation (e.g. climatic and environmental factors, access to land, labor, technical skills, draft power); and the quality of public and private agricultural services under conditions of liberalization. The paper outlines the coping strategies which farmers have adopted in the face of these changes, including changing farming practices, more reliance on non-farm sources of income, and modified patterns of exchange and consumption. The conclusion presents recommendations for future action and investigation.