The objective of the paper is to analyse the evolution and strategies of Albanian farms in order to understand the process of adapting to the market economy, to outline the role of agriculture in the country's socio-economic development and to identify future strategies of public policies in rural areas. The work is based on a survey carried out on a sample of farms in 1998, and subsequently in 2003. The study area is located in the Elbasan prefecture, in the Eastern part of Albania. The paper highlights the positive and negative relationships between emigration, farmers’ attitudes and investments in cash crops.