<p>On-farm conservation is increasingly recognized as vital for enhancing agrobiodiversity and sustainable crop production, yet limited insight into smallholder conservation decisions in developing countries constrains its implementation. Present study employed choice experiment to assess farmer’s decision dynamics for paddy landraces. Socio-economic characterisation of responding farming community revealed subsistence nature with small holding size, limited marketable surplus, frequent drought experience and limited extension support. Random Parameter Logit (RPL) model identified attributes like yield stability, cultivation cost, productivity, selling price, grain color and suitability for direct sowing as an important determinants of paddy landrace choice decision. Among them maximum preference recorded for yield stability (5.014), cultivation cost (3.671) and productivity (1.897) that underscored native farmer’s inherent tendency to ensure stable crop harvest with minimum resource allocations instead to maximise farm production. Significant standard deviation in the study for choice making underscored socio-economic determinants influencing farmer’s choice. Access to market emerged as the strongest determinant influencing farmer’s choice in favour of paddy landrace with demanding grain colour capable of fetching better price in market (4.134), high productivity (3.031), and yield stability (2.034). Analysis of farmer’s marginal willingness to pay revealed diffused market demand for all attributes with maximum score for yield stability (311.32). These finding collectively derive important policy implications for on farm conservation of paddy landraces with flexible strategies and cope for integrating market information system.</p>