Where can I grow rice?
Oryza sativa · Grain · Annual
Rice is a great fit (80+) on 85.9 million km² (33.2 million sq mi) of land in 206 countries, 50% of it only with irrigation. The most well-suited land is in Pará, Brazil, Amazonas, Brazil and Minas Gerais, Brazil. Where it can't grow, it's usually growing season too cool (81%) and nights too cold in the growing season (19%).
Tap the map for the score at any spot. Each square is a 28 km (17 mile) grid cell.
- Great fit (80+)
- 85.9M km²(33.2M sq mi)
- 59% of land
- Worth a try (50–79)
- 7.1M km²(2.7M sq mi)
- 5% of land
- Great fit without irrigation
- 43.1M km²(16.7M sq mi)
- Rain alone is enough
- Countries
- 206
- With great-fit land
Regions with the most suitable land
- 1
- 2
- 3
🇧🇷Minas Gerais, Brazil
Great fit on 559k km² (216k sq mi) · worth a try on 5,700 km² (2,200 sq mi)
For example Belo Horizonte (100), Uberlândia (100)
- 4
🇺🇸Texas, United States
Great fit on 520k km² (201k sq mi) · mostly with irrigation
For example Port Arthur (100), Nederland (100)
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
🇨🇳Xinjiang, China
Great fit on 299k km² (115k sq mi) · worth a try on 72k km² (28k sq mi) · mostly with irrigation
For example Shihezi (100), Gujangbagh (100)
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
🇨🇳Yunnan, China
Great fit on 204k km² (79k sq mi) · worth a try on 71k km² (27k sq mi)
For example Mengzi (100), Wenshan City (100)
- 13
🇪🇹Oromiya, Ethiopia
Great fit on 190k km² (73k sq mi) · worth a try on 54k km² (21k sq mi) · mostly with irrigation
For example Gutin (100), Welench’ītī (100)
- 14
- 15
🇺🇸California, United States
Great fit on 189k km² (73k sq mi) · worth a try on 46k km² (18k sq mi) · mostly with irrigation
For example Los Angeles (100), Fresno (100)
Regions are states and provinces, counting land within 75 km of a town. At most three per country, so the list covers the world.
By country
- 🇧🇷Brazil6.0M km² (2.3M sq mi) · 99% of its land
- 🇺🇸United States3.3M km² (1.3M sq mi) · 59% of its land
- 🇨🇳China3.2M km² (1.2M sq mi) · 56% of its land
- 🇮🇳India3.1M km² (1.2M sq mi) · 96% of its land
- 🇮🇩Indonesia1.5M km² (587k sq mi) · 97% of its land
- 🇲🇽Mexico1.3M km² (514k sq mi) · 83% of its land
- 🇮🇷Iran1.2M km² (458k sq mi) · 85% of its land
- 🇨🇩Democratic Republic of the Congo1.1M km² (425k sq mi) · 98% of its land
- 🇦🇷Argentina1.1M km² (414k sq mi) · 68% of its land
- 🇳🇬Nigeria893k km² (345k sq mi) · 100% of its land
Best-suited towns
- 100%fit
🇲🇾 Selangor, Malaysia
- 100%fit
🇲🇾 Selangor, Malaysia
- 100%fit
🇮🇩 East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
- 100%fit
🇲🇾 Sarawak, Malaysia
- 100%fit
🇮🇩 Lampung, Indonesia
- 100%fit
🇮🇩 Riau, Indonesia
- 100%fit
🇧🇷 Ceará, Brazil
- 100%fit
🇮🇩 Papua, Indonesia
- 100%fit
🇧🇷 Piauí, Brazil
- 100%fit
🇻🇳 Thai Nguyen, Vietnam
- 100%fit
🇲🇾 Pahang, Malaysia
- 100%fit
🇳🇬 Cross River State, Nigeria
The most comfortable fits among the 2,000 biggest towns, two per region.
What rice needs
- Growing-season average
- Ideal 72–88°F (22–31°C)Won't grow below 61°F (16°C) or above 97°F (36°C)
- Coldest growing-season night (monthly average)
- Ideal at least 59°F (15°C)Won't grow below 46°F (8°C)
- Growing-season rain
- Ideal 28–79 in (700–2,000 mm)Won't grow below 12 in (300 mm) or above 138 in (3,500 mm)
Paddy rice is usually flooded from irrigation or monsoon rain; nights below ~15 °C at flowering cause empty grains.
Sources: FAO ECOCROP: Oryza sativa; FAO Crop Water Information: rice. Ranges not yet reviewed by an agronomist.
What stops it elsewhere
- Growing season too cool81%
- Nights too cold in the growing season19%
Share of the land scoring under 50, by what holds it back most.
How this map works
Every 28 km square of land is scored 0–100 against the requirements above, using 1991–2020 monthly climate averages with frost, chill and heat estimated by simulating daily weather. Each square is scored with whichever variety fits it best. “With irrigation” ignores rain shortfalls; “Rain-fed only” counts them.
Climate is only part of it: soil, slope, water and markets decide where a crop is actually farmed. Use this to shortlist places, then check them locally.