Rice is the most cultivated and consumed cereal in Malaysia. With the local population rising in number, the yield progress of the crop needs to increase in a sufficient and sustainable manner to meet the increasing demand. However, future productivity is uncertain because of the predicted changes in climate, notably temperature and water availability. Here we highlight the impact of climate change on Malaysian rice production and how it is linked to the current use of nitrogen (N) fertiliser. From literature analysis we propose that the sustainable solution lies in targeting photosynthesis per unit N. Here we show a lower sensitivity of photosynthesis to N deficiency in Malaysian varieties in comparison to other widely grown cultivars, indicating the potential for improvement. This initial study is used to establish baseline measurements for more complex, multi-factor stress analyses.