Analyzing Factors Influencing Farmers in Northeast China to Convert from Corn to Rice Production

The constantly changing prices of grains such as rice and corn have triggered an increasing number of corn-to-rice projects. This paper takes the progress of the corn-to-rice project in Northeast China as a sample and analyzes the influencing factors of the corn-to-rice project based on binary selection model analysis of the probit method. This study yields the following findings: the relative benefits of rice and corn are the key factors affecting the corn-to-rice project. When the project can improve farmers’ income, their willingness to participate increases significantly; the number of farmers’ family members providing labor is an important factor affecting the decision of corn-to-rice conversion. Accordingly, when the family labor is abundant, they are more willing to change from corn to rice. Farmers will choose the results that are beneficial to them according to their own conditions, and their choices can bring them greater economic benefits.