As global food demand grows, new approaches are needed to produce food in resource-limited environments beyond traditional agricultural systems. I will discuss two areas of research from our group: (1) our development of a hybrid inorganic–biological artificial photosynthesis system that uses electrochemically derived acetate to cultivate food-producing organisms independent of biological photosynthesis. To enable the heterotrophic growth of plants using acetate as a carbon source, we are also working to understand and engineer plant acetate metabolism; and (2) our efforts to engineer tomato plants for vertical farming and spaceflight by altering genes that control plant architecture, including those regulating plant height and branching, to optimize growth in confined environments. These efforts are providing new insights into plant metabolism and development while bringing us closer to solutions for future food systems.