ABSTRACT
Under the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people impacted by hunger around the world continued to rise in 2020. This fact undermines the worldwide ambition of feeding the world's ever-increasing population, which is expected to hit a record high by 2050. In contrast to this, in the twentieth century, food production increased dramatically, mostly owing to the invention and application of herbicides and nitrogenous and phosphorous fertilizers, breakthroughs in plant breeding, and genetic technology. However, despite the development of various technologies, many key crop yields plateaued a few decades ago. Climate change, the ever-increasing human population, depleted soil nutrients, water shortage, overuse of fossil energy, loss of biodiversity, onset of superweeds, and resistant insects and phytopathogens, among others, are the key factors hindering optimum crop production and thus food security. Interestingly, the symbiotic attributes of the obligatory symbionts, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), in agriculture have long demonstrated dependability and efficiency toward a wide range of agriculturally important crops. Strong advocacy and hopes are placed upon AMF as they are believed to curb the burdens brought about by the currently used unfriendly agricultural models. Factually, their ability to enhance crop growth and yield, to mitigate the hindrances perpetrated by abiotic (droughts, heat, and salinity) and biotic (pests and diseases) stresses, and to improve the nutrient content of processed food coupled with sustained agricultural soil texture/structures makes AMF a top alternative promising technology toward sustainable production in the context of the global food crisis and erratic climatic conditions. Nonetheless, the composition of AMF inoculants in terms of several individual and diverse taxa is the key factor to consider for the presumed success of such biological agents in the highly competitive rhizospheric conditions. This chapter aims at shedding light on the current world food security status and the major challenges faced in current agriculture and, finally, describes the attributes of AMF that could help in coping with the current drawbacks of the agricultural system for a flourishing future. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.