Rice terraces are seen at Matsudai Tanada region in Niigata, Japan. May 13, 2008.
For such a small grain, rice feeds an awful lot of people — 3.5 billion of them to be exact. Take a look at the grandeur of the rice paddies where this crucial grain comes of age. The following series of photographs are paired with aerial satellite views of their locations. After visit GlobalPost's ongoing look at a tiny grain with a giant footprint: Rice 2.0.