Abstract The Affordable Phenomics special topic in The Plant Phenome Journal showcased recent advances that expand the accessibility, cost‐effectiveness, and scalability of plant phenotyping technologies. This collection of 15 articles presented innovative approaches, ranging from low‐cost sensors and open‐source analytical pipelines to artificial intelligence–driven image analysis and spectroscopy, that address the financial and technical barriers limiting widespread adoption of plant phenomics. In this foreword, we highlight the contributions featured in the special topic. The foreword also serves as an overview of the state of the art in affordable phenomics by summarizing the vision and perspectives presented in the invited review “Affordable phenomics: Expanding access to enhancing genetic gain in plant breeding.”