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Per capita output in Zambia's agricultural sector has been in long-run decline, though the decline in maize production since the early 1990s has been partly offset by increased production of other crops in some areas. This article examines the experience of Northern Province, which mirrors that of the country as a whole: a move into maize and out again, partly offset by geographically concentrated diversification. The dismantling of state agricultural distribution and marketing institutions under liberalisation left a gap that has not yet been adequately filled by the private sector. In discarding one policy regime in favour of another, care must be taken to ensure that the benefits of the old regime are not lost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]