Rice is a wetland-dependant
(freshwater) plant and the
staple food for over half
the world’s population. It
provides about 20 percent of
the total calorie supply in the
world and is grown in at least
114 countries worldwide,
particularly in Asia.
Rice paddies are naturally
flooded or irrigated fields
in which rice is grown.
Rice grows with its roots
submerged, but with its
leaves and seeds (rice) above
the water. Rice paddies
usually dry out at harvest
time, illustrating that these
systems shift between
aquatic and terrestrial (dry
land) phases.