As climate change and trade tensions continue to put a strain on our food systems, a University of Guelph researcher says greenhouses and other forms of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) provide a solution by growing food close to where most Canadians live.
Dr. Youbin Zheng
Dr. Youbin Zheng is a professor in the School of Environmental Sciences who studies plant production in controlled environments. He says because many greenhouses and indoor food farms use soilless production systems, food can be grown even in urban areas, near the people who will consume it.
"Urbanization has been reducing good farmland and people are increasingly concentrated in large cities," Zheng says. "Vertical farming does not need fertile soil and can increase growing area and yield many times than open fields with the same acreage."
By growing food in greenhouses or other CEA systems near urban areas, producers are better protected against market volatility.
"Positioned in or close to large cities or Canada's far north, CEA can shorten lifecycles, eliminate long-distance transportation, reduce spoilage and help alleviate food access issues," Zheng says.
CEA systems use advanced climate control systems to adjust temperature, humidity, light, and nutrients to optimize plant growth. The systems are typically used for high-value plant production, like fresh produce that could spoil during transport.
Zheng notes that greenhouses and other CEA systems are safer from the threats of climate change, like extreme temperatures and wildfires, offering the opportunity to grow fresh food year-round.
"CEA creates ideal growing conditions regardless of external weather fluctuations," he explains.
Zheng and his team recently advanced to the third and final phase of the Homegrown Innovation Challenge, where they're working to scale a hybrid greenhouse-vertical farming system powered by AI and smart sensor technology to grow strawberries year-round.
