“Unquestionably, rice agriculture plays a significant role in providing food resources and wildlife habitat to many species of California native birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes.” – A Conservation Footprint for California Rice, UC Davis, January 2025

What started out as a big goal – to define the number of rice acres needed to support the habitat needs multiple species and our communities, now has a number – 470,000 acres but never less than 375,000 acres. In between, rice acres (especially winter-flooded rice) need to be carefully managed to ensure the unique biodiversity supported by rice, can survive the inevitable dry periods. 

This ‘Rice Footprint’ is the culmination of more than a year of work by a multi-disciplinary group at UC Davis including Dr. John Eadie – waterfowl, Dr. Daniel Karp – fish, Dr. Andrew Rypel – fish, Dr. Bruce Linquist – agronomy, Dr. Brian Todd – reptiles and Dr. Dan Sumner – economics along with PhD candidates. Dr. Kristin Dybala and Dr. Robert Walsh of Point Blue contributed chapters on shorebirds and sandhill cranes. 

Unique

The report spotlights the unique nature of working ricelands – fields that not only grow America’s sushi rice but also provide critically needed habitat for many species of wildlife. Rice acres are also the backbone of our rural economies, providing $1B in revenue and 7,500 jobs in the Sacramento Valley. 

The report will be an anchor of our footprint initiative and will provide the needed foundation for our work to protect and enhance rice through easements, conservation contracts (short-term easements), water policy and habitat programs. 

In the upcoming months, we will be presenting the report to policymakers, legislators and our partners and seeking their support of rice on the landscape. 

Click here to the view and download the summary of the report and the full UC Davis report. 

For more information on the Rice Footprint, contact the CRC’s President & CEO Tim Johnson at tjohnson@calrice.org