Sustainability Framing of Controlled Environment Agriculture and Consumer Perceptions: A Review

Abstract

The ongoing criticism of conventional agricultural activities being unsustainable in the face of climate change and global population growth has been one of the key drivers for technological innovation in this space. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), especially in the high-tech form of vertical farming, as a new agri-food technology, has been positioned as a sustainable solution to the dilemma of feeding the world and preserving the planet. Acknowledging sustainability as a multi-dimensional concept encompassing environmental, economic, social, and cultural aspects, this review briefly outlines the evolving meaning of sustainability, and how CEA has been framed as sustainable in the literature. Specifically, the review examines studies that have investigated consumer perceptions and acceptance of CEA and discussed how sustainability features of CEA were presented to consumers in a diverse way across these studies. The review highlights that the social and cultural dimensions of sustainability were largely neglected not only in research that focused on the development of CEA, but also in the exploration of consumers’ perceptions of CEA. A more holistic examination of the sustainability of CEA and a comprehensive understanding from consumers is important for transitioning towards more sustainable production systems enabled by new technologies such as CEA.

The Impact of Genotype and Controlled Environment Cultivation Parameters on Tomato-Leaf-Derived Exosome-like Nanoparticle Yield and Properties

“…Moreover, CEA is promising for the high reproducibility and quality of plant-based products. CEA facilities can operate year-round regardless of seasonal variations in the weather conditions; consistent plant access to water, nutrients, and light promotes uniform growth and minimizes variability in plant characteristics [24]; and the enclosed environments in CEA provide protection against pests and diseases [25], minimizing the risk of crop damage and contamination of PDEN preparations.…”

Empirical Evidence on Analysing the Quality of Life of Informal Settlement for Regeneration Project: Case Study of Boa Wala Settlement, Lahore

“…The past literature has revealed that only 13% of the world's populace lived in urban areas before the commencement of the industrial era, but these numbers have increased dramatically in the 20th and 21st centuries (Das, 2015). However, the world population that reached till 8 billion (Gan, et al 2023) has only a small share of 3.1 billion people that live in the rural settlements (Ghaderpour, 2021). As a result, metropolitan regions have received significant attention, financial assistance, and services that leaved the rural communities more impoverished.…”

Development and Analysis of Models for Detection of Olive Trees

“…It is predicted that close to 10 billion people will live on Earth by 2050 [1]. At the moment, about 37% of the total land surface is used for food production [2], and it is estimated that the necessary increase in food production between 2010 and 2050 will be between 35% to 56% [3]. Needed increase in production can be achieved by increasing the share of agricultural land and/or increasing productivity on existing agricultural land by applying the so-called precision or smart agriculture [4].…”