The Controlled Environment Agriculture Alliance (CEA Alliance) is a membership trade association representing and serving vertical farms and greenhouse producers growing fruits and vegetables in a highly controlled indoor production environment.
What is Controlled Environment Agriculture?
Controlled environment growers employ a variety of agricultural production methods and technology to create optimal growing conditions with rigorous environmental controls.
Growers utilize innovative technologies such as hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics, and soil-based systems to grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
CEA producers work to deliver the freshest, best-tasting, and most nutritious fruits and vegetables to consumers, with the least environmental impact; reducing use of water, land and other scarce resources; and employing the most rigorous practices to ensure the safety of our products.
Why is Controlled Environment Agriculture important?
Controlled environment produce has important environmental benefits, including reduced use of water, land and other scarce natural resources.
Indoor growers use fewer or no pesticides, reduce food waste, and reduce carbon emissions from long-distance transportation by locating farms closer to markets.
Good for Consumers
Controlled-environment produce sets the bar for quality, cleanliness and availability, offering a differentiated option for consumers who care deeply about their eating experience and their families’ health. This includes rigorous standards for quality and freshness, as well as the highest standards for food safety. Growing year-round brings consumers consistency and reliability, with a supply chain unaffected by climate change and erratic weather conditions.
Good for the Environment
Controlled environment produce has important environmental benefits, including reduced use of water, land and other scarce natural resources. Indoor growers use fewer or no pesticides, reduce food waste, and reduce carbon emissions from long-distance transportation by locating farms closer to markets.
Good for Communities
Controlled environment farming is creating a new generation of stable and high-quality agriculture jobs that are year-round, pay good wages, and offer a safe and comfortable working environment. CEA growers support both urban and rural communities, often bringing good jobs to economically challenged communities.
Good for the Food System
By eliminating seasonality and variability, increasing domestic production, bringing food production closer to the end consumer, and producing more outputs with fewer inputs, controlled environment farming will reduce the impact on the food system from climate events, supply shocks, geopolitical events, droughts and other unknown events.
