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Rice paddies. Terraced, flooded paddy fields used for growing rice (Oryza sativa). Rice is one of the world's most important crops, its grains either being cooked and eaten, or used as a source of starch for the production of alcohol. This cereal grows in tropical and warm temperate areas. In tropical regions, each field can yield up to three harvests a year. Photographed in Kumsan, South Korea. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/MARK DE FRAEYE)