 Crop improvement is essential for achieving sustainable food production systems. Stakeholders from different levels of the agri-food chain have agreed upon for main priorities for crop improvement, water, nitrogen and phosphorous efficiency, heat stress and consideration of alternative methods such as management strategies. Research is needed to assess the impacts of these priority options on sustainability, with particular attention paid to downstream effects. This will help to identify concrete targets for plant breeding innovations as a food system solution. This article was authored by Estetckiewicz, Jay Mennery, Annette and others.