Globally, one-fifth of the Earth’s land area of more than two billion hectares has been degraded, representing more than half of all agricultural land. Unless we change how we manage soil, cent more than 90% could become degraded by 2050, the UN said. Land degradation negatively impacts one-fifth of the planet’s land area and livelihoods, 3.2 billion people and 40% of the global population. It accelerates climate change and biodiversity loss and contributes to droughts, wildfires, involuntary migration, and the emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases. Rice is the premier crop that is affected by these erratic conditions more than other crops. Rice is grown in agroecosystems that are hydrologically marginal for agronomic plants. Rice fields are unique biotypes characterized by temporary wetland agroecosystems. In terms of the physical environment dictating water control, five rice ecosystems grow indica and japonica sub-species of rice in Asia. Each agroecosystem has specific production problems, as they differ considerably concerning their soil water regime, particularly the water depth of their habitat. These habitats harbour different rice cultivation systems, namely, dryland, shallow and medium rainfed, deep-water rainfed, irrigated, and very deep water. Japonica rice, the other ecogeographic race of Oryza sativa, is grown extensively in the cooler zone of the subtropics and temperate zone under a relatively stable environment. Rice plants are extremely sturdy, but their phenotype changes under drought, flooding, alkaline conditions, and other stresses.