US-Japan Collaborations: Bridging Two Countries for Controlled Environment Agriculture Research and Education

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) is the plant production technology that enables high productivity of value added crops with efficient use of resources (agro-chemicals, energy and water), minimum impact to outside environments (such as ground water), and year-round business/employment opportunities. Because of these advantages, the use of CEA technologies has been expanding in many countries including North America. Japan has an established CEA industry due to its limited arable land and the strong government intervention to support horticulture. The country, today, has more than 45,000-ha of production area used for CEA and it is further advancing the technology to produce high quality vegetables in indoor plant factories. The industry that used to focus only on domestic markets is now interested in developing international markets in East Asia and beyond. With the increasing demand of well-trained personnel with skills to work internationally, Japanese universities’ horticultural programs seek partnerships to train their students in international settings. The University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC) houses multidisciplinary research, education, and outreach programs to serve this growing industry segment nationally and internationally. With experience working in both countries, the author has established various collaborations in CEA research and education to mutually benefit the two countries.  Regarding research, the author and her colleagues at CEAC collaborated with Japanese horticultural engineers to improve greenhouse ventilation and cooling under unique semiarid climates. The author collaborates with several Japanese horticulture industries and acts as a liaison between US and Japanese CEA venture industries in efforts to develop more advanced CEA technologies in the US.  Regarding education, the author established a student exchange program between University of Arizona and Chiba University. Over the past nine years, five Japanese students and two US students participated in various research programs and more student-supporting programs are expected.