In Burkina Faso, rice is of great importance in terms of consumption and cultivated area. It is the fourth most important cereal crop in terms of area, production and annual per capita consumption. Despite persistently low and almost static yields, demand for rice continues to grow due to high population growth and changing dietary habits. The basic system of local rice production is monoculture in a single annual season for rainfed and lowland rice and in a double annual season for irrigated rice. Irrigated rice is the most efficient rice production method with total control of water supply. However, rice production in Burkina Faso is faced with multiple abiotic and biotic constraints that cause significant yield reductions. Indeed, climatic variability remains one of the most important factors. Like the rest of the Sudano-Sahelian zone, Burkina Faso is subject to climatic hazards, of which the decline and poor spatial-temporal distribution of rainfall has become the main obstacle to rice production. Thus, in a context where the effects of climate change are increasingly perceptible, it is becoming imperative to adopt more efficient varieties and cultivation practices that ensure good water nutrition for the plants. To cope with this situation, an efficient irrigation system is needed to secure and stabilize crops. This situation calls for a careful use of water in agriculture. This review highlights the genetic diversity of rice, its importance, constraints and different rice production systems as well as innovative methods to boost local rice production in the future.