The recent credibility revolution in economics has spawned many studies that focus on assessing the impacts of contract farming, paying close attention to whether observed outcomes were indeed caused by contract farming. The results from such evaluations often provide a rationale for advocating contract farming. This chapter reviews this literature on household impacts and spillover effects of contract farming; it also critically reflects on these studies and the approaches used, reflecting on the need for incorporating a more diverse set of empirical approaches to better understand contract farming as institution.