Coconuts are important oil crops grown in humid areas of the tropics. They are perennial palms that face a number of limitations for sustainable production. Among the major challenges are low productivity in commercially cultivated varieties, threats from biotic stresses (mainly intracellular pathogens and insect pests), and droughts affecting some coconut-growing areas (aggravated by climate changing). Breeding coconuts for tolerance/resistance has been envisaged as the most viable option to overcome the ill effects of such stresses on coconut productivity. Coconut breeding using conventional methods was initiated in the mid-nineteenth century. Some of the challenges have already been resolved positively resulting in increased productivity through selection and hybridization. Modern plant-breeding techniques, such as genome mapping and marker-assisted selection, along with the improvements made in tissue culture techniques are of value in breeding for sustainability in coconut production.