Climate change, as one of the most important environmental issues, has become an increasing global concern to scientists, policy makers, and the public. Paddy soils are a dominant source of N_2O emissions. Agricultural management practices (e.g., water regime, fertilizers management, tillage) have important impacts on N_2O emissions due to the changing microenvironment of paddy fields that can affect the processes of soil nitrification and denitrification. This paper summaried current literatures on the influence of these practices on N_2O production and emission and their corresponding mechanisms in rice fields. At present, the generation and the pathway of N_2O emission from paddy soils are clarified. Nevertheless, the current information on the action of farming management practices on N_2O indirect emission is limited. The fertilizer application rate, the various types of fertilizers, and the varying timing and placement of application have a significant effect on the N_2O emissions of paddy fields due to the different supplementation of nitrate and ammonium substrate in the processes of nitrification and denitrification. Generally, N_2O emissions increase with increasing nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate. Previous studies showed that applying N fertilizer deeper can decrease N_2O emissions compared to surface application. Water regime exerts substantial influence on N_2O emission through the changes in oxidation and reduction in paddy soil layers during rice cropping. The mid-season aeration and drying-wetting alternation can stimulate N_2O generation and emissions from paddy soils. Tillage and residue management practices can also affect nitrification and denitrification due to the change of soil characteristics. However, cultivation patterns do not have significant impacts on N_2O emissions from paddy fields in current studies. Further research is needed to study the long-term effects of cultivations on N_2O emissions. Most studies showed that N_2O emissions decrease by incorporating biochar into paddy soils, but inconsistent results have also been reported. In addition, models (e.g., DNDC, CENTURY) are good options to simulate the effects of alternative agricultural practices on N_2O emission from paddy fields and to identify potential strategies for climate change mitigation. In addition, the different effect of farming management practices on N_2O emission may be presented based on the difference of many factors (e.g., climate conditions, soil types). An immense challenge to find ways to reduce N_2O emission from paddy soils lies ahead for the scientific community and policy makers. Researchable priorities should be: 1) to implement exhaustive research on mechanisms that new agricultural management practices affect N_2O generation and its emission pathways; 2) to assess effect of agricultural practices on the direct and indirect N_2O emissions from paddy fields and their mechanisms; 3) to make in-depth studies on characteristics of N_2O emission in technologies with integration of various farming practices; and 4) to simulate and forecast impacts of agricultural practices on N_2O emissions in paddy ecosystems. Integrated farming approaches that exert a crucial role in the reduction of N_2O emissions from paddy soils are necessary to be explored to mitigate the consequences of climate change on our planet.