With the ascendancy of Deng Xiaoping in 1978, China began a program of agricultural reform intended to increase productivity. This detailed study examines what the author sees as the major changes which moved the sector from a centrally planned to a more market-oriented system--replacement of collective teams with household farming, an increase of free markets for rural products, an increased state price for agricultural products, and greater freedom to expand off-farm activities--changes in the economic structure which facilitated greater productivity. It is unique in its focus on a single township, providing new data on the effects of reform at the village level.