The problem of idle padi land has attracted national attention in recent years. In Negeri Sembilan,about 57 percent of the gazetted padi land are abandoned. The objectives o f the study are to determine factors that contribute to the abandonment o f padi land in the state and to suggest alternative uses of the land. The study shows that shortage o f labour, low productivity o f padi land, high off-farm income, shortage of water and multiple land ownership are significant variables that influence farmer's decision to abandon their padi land. A linear programming analysis indicates that the idle padi land can be economically utilised for the cultivation o f chillies, greenpeas, maize or sugar cane, and rearing of freshwater fish.