Agriculture is one of the major sources of nitrous oxide (N₂O), a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) whose atmospheric concentrations are estimated to increase with efforts to increase food production through increasing nitrogen (N) inputs. The objective of this study was to quantify N₂O emissions from maize (Zea mays L.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) fields amended with inorganic, organic N and a combination of both sources (integrated management), in tropical (Zimbabwe) and temperate (China) climatic conditions. In Zimbabwe N₂O emissions were measured from maize plots, while in China emissions were measured from maize and winter wheat plots. In Zimbabwe the treatments were; (i) Control, (ii) 60 kg N ha^-1 ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃), (iii) 120 kg N ha^-1 NH₄NO₃, (iv) 60 kg ha^-1 cattle (Bos primigenius) manure-N, plus 60 kg N ha^-1 NH₄NO₃, (v) 60 kg N ha^-1 cattle manure-N, and (vi) 120 kg N ha^-1 cattle manure-N. In China, treatments were; (i) Control, (ii) 300 kg N ha^-1 Urea, (iii) 92 kg N ha^-1 Urea plus 65 kg ha^-1 chicken (Gallus domesticus) manure-N, (iv) 100 kg N ha^-1 Urea and (v) 100 kg N ha^-1 control release Urea. Our results showed that under both temperate and tropical conditions, integrated nutrient management resulted in lower N₂O emissions compared to inorganic fertilizers which had higher total and yield-scale N₂O emissions. We conclude that by combining organic and inorganic N sources, smallholder farmers in both China and Zimbabwe, and other countries with similar climatic conditions, can mitigate agricultural emissions without compromising productivity.