Rice fish farming (RF) has been practised for centuries in Asian countries, yet adoption rate remains limited, with many rice producing-nations not integrating aquatic species into their rice fields. This study explores why other countries performs better than others and major limiting factors for implementation and retention of RF. By reviewing RF development status, trends and socio-economic-environment contexts in RF major producing countries including China, Japan, Bangladesh, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Egypt, Nepal, the Philippines, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao), Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and the United States (US). Our study shows that, globally RF production has increased from 88,245.34 tons in 2000 to 423017.58 tons in 2023 accounting for 3.18% of global aquaculture production, occupying 2.24% global paddy field or 0.96% arable land. China is leading in rice-fish production and area followed by Bangladesh and Indonesia. For the last two decades, development trends of RF aquatic food production and area in China, Bangladesh and US has been increasing, however, Thailand, Nepal, Japan, Indonesia, and Egypt have experienced a decrease (Fig.1). Cambodia and Lao primarily practice rice-field fisheries. In Myanmar RF area and production has declined since 2013 due to strict government policy inhibiting transition of the rice-fields to accommodate aquatic species. In contrary, Chinese, Bangladesh, Vietnamese, and Indonesian governments together with non-governmental organizations has been actively promoting RF to enhance ecosystem conservation, income and productivity diversification. Inadequate knowledge and managerial skills, intensification of rice mono-culture, lack of capital and labor, technical and institutional constrains has led to low adoption of RF in various regions globally. Land being a key limiting factor for aquaculture and agricultural expansion, RF therefore is a gateway to specialization, providing nutritious food and economic growth through integration of high-value aquatic species such as red swam craw-fish of China and US, freshwater prawns of Bangladesh, and Tiger shrimp of Vietnam. Integrated RF is therefore an innovative way to sufficiently use resources to increase global agricultural output, alleviate poverty, malnutrition, and hunger at the midst of a changing climate.