Controlled-environment agriculture

Controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) -- which includes indoor agriculture (IA) and vertical farming— consists of crop production systems in greenhouses or other structures that use horticulture and engineering techniques beyond conventional soil-based outdoor production. These systems may increase yields, improve access to local foods, provide year-round food access and improve nutritional outcomes relative to traditional large scale farming. The aim of CEA is to provide protection from the outdoor elements and maintain optimal growing conditions throughout the development of the crop. Production takes place within an enclosed growing structure such as a mushroom farm, greenhouse or plant factory.

CEA covers two sectors: plant growing systems that evolved from greenhouses or aquaculture based structures requiring light and mushroom (fungi) growing systems that evolved from fully enclosed structures with limited lighting.

Plants are often grown in a soilless medium in order to supply the proper amounts of water and nutrients to the root zone as well as supplemental lighting to ensure a sufficient daily light integral. CEA plant growing optimizes the use of resources such as water, energy, space, capital and labor. CEA technologies include hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaculture, and aquaponics.

Mushrooms are grown in a compost medium with temperature, humidity, lighting, supplemental nutrients and atmospheric supplements, such as Oxygen or CO₂, added depending on the type of crop.

Different techniques are available for growing food in controlled environment agriculture. As of 2019 the mushroom industry was the largest CEA sector in the United States by facility size and total value of sales. The greenhouse industry is the second largest component of the CEA industry but another quickly growing segment is the vertical farming industry. Controlled Environment Agriculture has the ability to produce crops all year round, with the possibility of increased yield by adjusting the amount of carbon and nutrients the plants receive.