About one million farmers depend on rice as their main source of energy, employment, and income. Of these, about 0.8 million are resource-poor smallholders, planting less than 3 ha. Geographical features of rice cultivation in Latin America More than two-thirds of Latin America's arable lands are within lowland ecosystems. Rice is well adapted to wet soils common in the lowlands. Another potential ecosystem is high-rainfall savannas, with aerobic upland acid soils, found in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Guyana, and Suriname.
Rice is more tolerant of acidity than are other grain crops.
In contrast with other rice-growing regions in the world, rice cultivation on larger farms in tropical Latin America and the Caribbean is predominantly mechanized. Direct-seeding and purchased inputs are used across ecosystems. In contrast to Asia, where rice is commonly transplanted, rice in Latin America is mostly direct-seeded, a practice that developed because of increasing labor costs, water shortage, poor water control, and the need to diversify crops. About two-thirds of irrigated rice lands are minor schemes developed by farmers who divert water from streams, rivers, and deep wells. Environmental concerns require reduced agrochemical use and alternatives to forest clearing for crop production.