Can microbes help feed the world? We talk to scientists who are looking at the complex, symbiotic relationships between different soil microbes and plants and ways that these could be exploited to improve crop yield and quality. Nigel Brown gives us an overview of the contribution that microbiology could make in enhancing future food security. Rachel Roberts discusses rhizobia bacteria and how she's playing matchmaker and Angela Hodge talks about the ancient partnership between mycorrhizal fungi and plants.