This paper from the International Food Policy Research Institute examines the effectiveness of the 'conservation farming (CF) system', a package of agronomic practices for smallholders introduced to Zambia in 1996 and advocated by a range of stakeholders from donors, government and private sector. Evidence suggests that the effectiveness of conservation farming will vary not only across regions but also across crops and over time. Therefore, it will be important to establish long-term monitoring efforts for conservation farming and control plots across a broad range of geographic settings, crops and seasons.