The future potential of controlled environment agriculture

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Sustainable Food Production
• Environmental Engineering

Background:

• Growing global population necessitates increased food production.
• Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) offers a solution by stacking growth layers vertically.
• CEA systems provide climate-independent food production with reduced environmental impact but high energy demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess the theoretical performance potential of six CEA systems.
• To compare CEA systems against traditional field production of staple crops (maize, wheat, rice, soybean).

Main Methods:

• Quantitative performance assessment of six CEA systems.
• Comparative analysis against field production of major crops.

Main Results:

• CEA systems show potential for substantially boosting productivity across diverse food sources.
• CEA systems are independent of climate, weather, and region.
• High energy demands are a significant challenge for CEA systems.

Conclusions:

• CEA can play a pivotal role in the global food supply.
• Vastly improved energy efficiency, growth environment control, and waste stream utilization are necessary for CEA.
• Technological advancements, policy support, and public engagement are vital for reducing costs and increasing acceptance.