If food production is to keep pace with the demands of an ever-expanding global population, agricultural systems must be modified to cope with the rising temperatures and increased prevalence of droughts, floods and other extreme weather events that are projected to ensue. A series of opinion pieces in this issue explore some of the ways in which productivity can be improved and food security safeguarded, be it through the direct involvement of those that work on the land, partnerships between remote investors and local land owners, or treatments tailored to the agricultural system in hand.