There have been substantial improvements in the development and dissemination of balanced, more site-specific soil and nutrient management strategies for small scale rice and maize faming in Asia in recent years. However, integrated concepts for rice-maize systems are still lacking. In this paper, we summarize key research on innovative strategies for improving productivity and nutrient use efficiency in both rice and maize with a focus on research needs for the development of sustainable nutrient management strategies for intensive rice-maize systems.