The need to feed and fuel a growing global population has led to increased exploitation of synthetic biology tools (SynBio) to adjust metabolism, including photosynthesis, towards enhancing plant growth. Increasing the yield potential of crops will likely require a combination of metabolic changes – either sourced via mining natural diversity or obtained via artificial modification. Enhancing the CO2-fixing potential of the photosynthetic enzyme Rubisco has long been considered a fundamental target for improving the rate of carbon assimilation and growth of crops. In this presentation I will discuss the development of SynBio approaches that now equip us with capabilities to deliver solutions for improving Rubisco performance and some challenges that lay ahead for their translation into crops.