Rice is the most important food crop of the developing world and rice genetic improvement through breeding has been an effective mechanism for delivering the benefits of science and technology to hundreds of millions of resource-poor people. A research system with regional, national, and international components is now in place for producing improved rice varieties and making them available to farmers that need them. Biotechnology can significantly strengthen rice breeding programs and help produce new varieties with higher yield potential and greater yield stability. These should improve the efficiency of rice production and allow an expansion of the rice-growing area, thereby preventing future food shortages from occurring as demand for rice increases because of population growth and economic development. This book reviews the progress and potential for applying rice biotechnology to rice improvement in the coming decades.