Total rice demand will continue to increase at an annual rate of about 1%. There will be little net increase in rice cropping area or in the amount of irrigated land available for rice production. Therefore, yields of irrigated and rainfed lowland rice must increase substantially to keep up with global rice demand. This presentation will discuss the key drivers of change in rice systems of Asia and general strategies for sustaining productivity and the environment through a combination of germplasm improvement and crop management.