Since the 1970s, demand for rice has been met thanks to high-yielding varieties and improved production methods. Irrigation was key -- during the green revolution irrigated area grew by 4 to 5 million hectares per year. Today, as populations grow, land and water resources for rice production are diminishing. To head off a crisis, governments should promote better crop management techniques and higher-yielding hybrid seeds to reap more from already irrigated lands. Wetlands could be converted to irrigated rice production -- in Africa and the Americas, over 135 million hectares of wetland are suitable.