Soil-smart cropping for climate-smart production

• Optimal root systems promote the acquisition of soil resources, thereby increasing yield and reducing environmental impacts. • Root system optimization can be achieved through genetic manipulation and effective management of cropping systems. • Three-dimensional soil data is critical for linking between root traits and plant performance. • Modelling capabilities of climate-soil–plant-management interactions are paving the way for soil-smart cropping. • Communicating knowledge with stakeholders is vital to accelerate the development and adoption of soil-smart practices. Agriculture faces the dual challenge of sustainably increasing productivity to meet the food demand of a rapidly growing population and adapting to climate change. Despite significant efforts to develop more adaptive and productive crop cultivars and to improve water and nutrient management practices, the potential of crops to tackle this challenge by optimizing soil resource utilization remains underexplored. Here, we propose that optimizing root systems to promote the efficient acquisition of soil resources can increase yield, improve resilience to climate variability, and reduce environmental impacts. This optimization can be achieved through genetic manipulation at the crop species level and effective management of cropping systems at the field level (e.g., intercropping, rotation, and agroforestry). Advances in three-dimensional soil data collection, linking root traits to plant performance, and modelling of climate-soil–plant-management interactions are paving the way for soil-smart cropping. Effective communication and knowledge exchange with stakeholders beyond the scientific community are vital for accelerating the development and adoption of soil-smart practices for climate-smart and sustainable agricultural production.