Improving photosynthesis is a key area of research with great potential for enhancing sustainable agricultural productivity and addressing global food security challenges. This perspective discusses the latest advancements and approaches aimed at optimizing photosynthetic efficiency. The discussion covers the entire process, starting with light harvesting and its regulation, progressing through the bottleneck of electron transfer, and then focusing on the carbon reactions of photosynthesis, particularly strategies targeting the enzymes of the Calvin–Benson–Bassham (CBB) cycle. Methods to increase carbon dioxide concentration near Rubisco, the enzyme responsible for the first step of the CBB cycle, are also explored, drawing inspiration from various photosynthetic organisms. Additionally, ways to enhance CO₂ delivery into leaves are examined. Beyond individual processes, two approaches to identifying key targets for photosynthesis improvement are discussed: systems modeling and the study of natural variation. The strategies are analyzed for their impact on nitrogen use efficiency and canopy photosynthesis. Light is the energy source of photosynthesis, but only visible photons in the 400 to 700 nm range are used to power photosynthesis in most organisms, limiting solar energy use to less than 50% of what reaches the Earth's surface. Expanding the spectrum of plants to the far-red (FR) region could increase light absorption by around 20%, which is a significant increase in energy available for growth. This strategy is considered promising for improving crop productivity, as the light reaching the lower leaves is almost exclusively FR and currently cannot be used for photosynthesis, resulting in a near-zero photosynthetic rate at the bottom of a crop canopy. Reducing chlorophyll content in leaves could mitigate competition for light in monocrop stands, as the level and quality of light reaching leaves in the lower canopy would be higher and more uniform, thus boosting overall photosynthetic performance and yields. This strategy has been validated in several studies on cyanobacteria and microalgae, although similar results in higher plants have been inconsistent. A reduction in antenna size in tobacco led to an increase in above-ground biomass accumulation under high-density cultivation conditions. Similarly, beneficial effects were observed in a rice genotype with pale green leaves under high-light conditions. However, field studies on chlorophyll-deficient soybean mutants showed a marked decrease in leaf mass accumulation and grain yield. The hus1 mutant, with a 50% reduction in chlorophyll content, showed enhanced efficiency of light energy conversion without increasing susceptibility to photoinhibition. This mutant also exhibited reduced activity in the tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway, which suppressed the formation of toxic intermediates and pleiotropic photo-oxidative damage. These findings suggest that reducing investment in antenna proteins and chlorophyll biosynthesis can significantly improve productivity without detrimental effects. Accelerating nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) kinetics can improve photosynthetic efficiency by reducing the lifetime of the singlet excited state of chlorophyll, thereby limiting the formation of photImproving photosynthesis is a key area of research with great potential for enhancing sustainable agricultural productivity and addressing global food security challenges. This perspective discusses the latest advancements and approaches aimed at optimizing photosynthetic efficiency. The discussion covers the entire process, starting with light harvesting and its regulation, progressing through the bottleneck of electron transfer, and then focusing on the carbon reactions of photosynthesis, particularly strategies targeting the enzymes of the Calvin–Benson–Bassham (CBB) cycle. Methods to increase carbon dioxide concentration near Rubisco, the enzyme responsible for the first step of the CBB cycle, are also explored, drawing inspiration from various photosynthetic organisms. Additionally, ways to enhance CO₂ delivery into leaves are examined. Beyond individual processes, two approaches to identifying key targets for photosynthesis improvement are discussed: systems modeling and the study of natural variation. The strategies are analyzed for their impact on nitrogen use efficiency and canopy photosynthesis. Light is the energy source of photosynthesis, but only visible photons in the 400 to 700 nm range are used to power photosynthesis in most organisms, limiting solar energy use to less than 50% of what reaches the Earth's surface. Expanding the spectrum of plants to the far-red (FR) region could increase light absorption by around 20%, which is a significant increase in energy available for growth. This strategy is considered promising for improving crop productivity, as the light reaching the lower leaves is almost exclusively FR and currently cannot be used for photosynthesis, resulting in a near-zero photosynthetic rate at the bottom of a crop canopy. Reducing chlorophyll content in leaves could mitigate competition for light in monocrop stands, as the level and quality of light reaching leaves in the lower canopy would be higher and more uniform, thus boosting overall photosynthetic performance and yields. This strategy has been validated in several studies on cyanobacteria and microalgae, although similar results in higher plants have been inconsistent. A reduction in antenna size in tobacco led to an increase in above-ground biomass accumulation under high-density cultivation conditions. Similarly, beneficial effects were observed in a rice genotype with pale green leaves under high-light conditions. However, field studies on chlorophyll-deficient soybean mutants showed a marked decrease in leaf mass accumulation and grain yield. The hus1 mutant, with a 50% reduction in chlorophyll content, showed enhanced efficiency of light energy conversion without increasing susceptibility to photoinhibition. This mutant also exhibited reduced activity in the tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway, which suppressed the formation of toxic intermediates and pleiotropic photo-oxidative damage. These findings suggest that reducing investment in antenna proteins and chlorophyll biosynthesis can significantly improve productivity without detrimental effects. Accelerating nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) kinetics can improve photosynthetic efficiency by reducing the lifetime of the singlet excited state of chlorophyll, thereby limiting the formation of phot