The increasing rice production in Ethiopia has economic advantages to smallholder farmers, but the rainfall variability and shortage, which constrains yields, on the one hand, and the increasing import demand because of the incompetent lower quality local rice, on the other, are the existing challenges. Production under rainfall shortage and variability demands a corresponding advance in water-use to improve output and yield. These issues invite a closer look into an essential aspect of rice production called AWM. With the main objectives of exploring the categories of AWM in smallholder rice-producing areas and estimating the share of irrigated and rain-fed rice, and several other interesting objectives, this study used qualitative and quantitative primary data collected in 2014 from two regions for analysis.