This study is based on two 1991 sample surveys, each of ninety farms, in the predominantly arable region of Chiweshe and in the low rainfall area of Gokwe, where animals are more important. The two samples are reasonably representative of the range of conditions found in the communal areas in Zimbabwe. Programming techniques are used to determine the efficiency levels of the farms in each region. The results show that efficiency is positively related to the numbers of both cows and oxen, with only a few farms in Gokwe possibly having too many animals. Farms in Gokwe are on average about two thirds as efficient as those in Chiweshe, which is a measure of the effects of the poorer climate and soils. Non-farm income is also lower, due to lesser opportunities in the more remote region. In both regions, the majority of farms are too small and the estimates suggest that increasing farm size could almost double productivity.