Flooded rice fields are an important source of atmospheric methane (CH₄). This paper discusses the factors that influence CH₄, production and emission from the source and potential methods of mitigating CH₄ emissions. The use of the mitigation option suggested could potentially decrease CH₄ emission from flooded rice fields by about 40% worldwide.
Then, this paper indicates that modern science has developed superior mechanisms for the use of rice paddy fields and that they display multiple functions for environmental conservation. Finally, I show future trends for sustainable agriculture, land use system and the global environment. In one example it is shown that technologies for both improving soil fertility and mitigation of CH₄ emission in· rice paddy fields contribute to the promotion of sustainable agriculture.