Key facts
- Global rice production nearly doubled between the 1960s and the 2010s.
- Management decisions, such as expanded irrigation and increased nutrient inputs, were central to sustaining production.
- These management strategies helped offset losses from climate change.
- China, India, and Thailand are identified as the top three rice-producing countries.
- Future food security depends on adapting rice production systems to changing environmental conditions.
Global rice production experienced significant growth from the 1960s to the 2010s, averaging 713 million tonnes annually between 2006 and 2015, according to a study by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The research, published in Scientific Reports, highlights that management decisions were the primary drivers of this increase.
Key management strategies included expanded irrigation and increased nutrient inputs, which together improved total rice production by 76%. The expansion of rice-planting areas accounted for 52% of these management factors, with irrigated areas contributing 39%. The use of nitrogen fertilizer and manure also played a role, increasing production by 24%.
While environmental factors, such as rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, increased productivity by 30% in the recent decade, climate change reduced overall production by 7%. The study suggests that future food security will rely on adapting rice production systems to changing environmental conditions, rather than solely on environmental factors.
China, India, and Thailand are identified as the largest rice-producing countries, with South and Southeast Asia being the dominant regions for cultivation. The comprehensive approach of the study, which considers both environmental changes and management practices, offers a more complete picture of the factors influencing rice yields.