Resource Use Efficiency in Controlled Environment Agriculture

There is much public interest in controlled environment agriculture, and especially vertical farming. Claims about vertical farming range from ‘a sustainable way to feed the world’ to ’95% more efficient than conventional agriculture’. However, there is little science-based information about the performance of such system. This presentation will focus on what we do and do not know about vertical farms. How can these systems be managed for optimal resource use efficiency, including efficient use of energy, water, fertilizers, and CO₂? Are the various inputs equally important for the development of a profitable growing system and what trade-offs may be necessary among these inputs? Is optimizing resource use efficiency actually economically feasible and sustainable? Combining a critical look at the efficiency of resource use in such crop production systems, combined with the potential costs and benefits of different resource management approaches can help set research priorities for controlled environment agriculture.