Ratoon rice allows millions of smallholders to meet production and environmental goals

China aims to increase rice production and reduce associated negative environmental impact. However, increasingly limiting and expensive rural labor has driven a shift from double- to single-season rice, posing a threat to national food security. Here, we evaluated the impact of an alternative ratoon rice system on production and environmental outcomes using smallholders’ survey data together with spatial crop modeling. We showed that ratoon rice adoption would ensure rice self-sufficiency and drastically reduce nutrient losses, pesticide use, greenhouse gas emissions, and labor requirements. We conclude that ratoon rice is a viable option to meet the dual goal of increasing production and reducing negative environmental impacts.