This paper explores the key impacts of migration on agricultural production restructuring in Jiangxiprovince by considering household farm activities choice and crop acreage adjustment behavior. We usedthe Heckman model to address the sample selection bias and instrumental variable to deal with thereverse causality problem. The results show that, amid China's unique institutional background, theadministrative restrictions on the free flow of labor and land hindered agriculture restructuring, forcingthe rural family members left behind to turn to less labor-intensive subsistence grain production insteadof more capital-intensive livestock cultivation, or to even abandon their farmland. However, we also findthe important role of return migrants in the agriculture modernization process. They can provide bothfinancial and human capital to promote more specialized agricultural production. We propose severalsuggestions for agricultural restructuring in rural China.