By 2050, it is estimated that there will be nine billion people on Earth. New technologies will be needed to feed the world’s population, and to grow food in outer space. Climate change adds to the pressure of food scarcity. Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) uses technology to enable growers to manipulate a crop’s environment to desired conditions. Greenhouses, aquaculture, hydroponics, and aquaculture are all examples of controlled environment agriculture. The Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC) within the BE department has the potential, with the support of CALES and UA mechanisms, for developing self-support to expand to meet the demands.
See an online booklet of what we do at the CEAC here or watch the interactive video below.
For a full list of CEAC faculty, staff andcollaborators, visit CEAC's directory
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Faculty with CEAResearch components:
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| Dr. Joel Cuello | Dr. Gene Giacomelli | Dr. Triston Hooks | Dr. Murat Kacira | Dr.Matthew "Rex" Recsetar |
 | Plants will speak to youonce youembrace technology and listen to the data. The mission of the Advanced Sensing & Climate Control Lab for Sustainable CEA Systems developsresource use efficient CEA systems with computer vision guided real time crop growth monitoring systems. Harnessing this technology makes for timely identification of crop health and status, toimproveresource use efficiency.
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 | Centered on using plants to sustain a diet for astronauts, the Mar's Lunar Greenhouseemploys plants and crop production for food, air revitalization, water recycling, and waste recycling for the crew. Fulfilling the requirements for of space colonization, the M-LGH aims to delivera sustained human presence in space andaspires to bring practical commerical-ready technology to Earth's CEA forefront.
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 | This student-designed, and mostly student-run, controlled-environment facility is the first rooftop campus greenhouse in the nation that can produce food year-round, with 10 times the productivity of an outdoor garden. Twice a week on the roof of the student union, UA students and future commercial growers harvest cucumbers, tomatoes and bell peppers from the Rooftop Greenhouse and send the vegetables down to the Campus Pantry.
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 | The UAgFarm facility wasdeveloped for engineering and science based research to addresschallenges and help advancing technology and crop productionapplications with indoor growing under artificial lighting, to provideexperiential educational opportunities for students, and to educate and inform growers and public on indoor growing systems.
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 | OurVertical Green Boxsolution,aka the minimally structured, modular and prefabricated Vertical Farm, is specifically designed to usher in the transformative paradigm of the Vertical Farm that is sustainable -- economically, environmentally and socially.
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