EKS-HUM-039 / Agriculture and controlled environments

Controlled Environment Agriculture

可控环境农业

Controlled environment agriculture is crop production in greenhouses or other structures that use horticultural and engineering methods to control selected growing conditions.

Abbreviations: CEA
Aliases: controlled environmental agriculture, protected agriculture, protected culture

QUANTITY, SYMBOL AND UNIT

Quantity / objectControlled environment agriculture domain

UnitNot applicable

Definition

Controlled environment agriculture is crop production in greenhouses or other structures that use horticultural and engineering methods to control selected growing conditions.

CEA includes greenhouses, indoor and vertical farms, hydroponics, aquaponics and related protected systems. The degree of control varies: a facility may regulate some combination of temperature, light, humidity, airflow, water, nutrients and pest exposure.

Relations and distinctions

CEA and vertical farming

Vertical farming is one CEA arrangement. CEA also includes single-layer greenhouses and other protected production structures.

CEA and climate equipment

CEA is the production domain; heating, cooling, ventilation, humidification and dehumidification are supporting subsystems selected for a specific facility.

Engineering meaning

Define crop, growth stage, light cycle, water system, enclosure leakage and environmental targets before reviewing humidity equipment.
Treat plant transpiration, irrigation surfaces and outdoor-air exchange as time-varying moisture sources.

Common misconceptions

MisconceptionCEA means every environmental variable is held at one constant value.

Accurate explanationThe controlled variables, ranges and schedules differ by crop, facility and production strategy.

Application boundaries

The domain term does not establish crop-specific temperature, RH or VPD targets.
Humidity equipment selection does not by itself define the wider growing, irrigation, lighting or control system.

Supporting sources

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service / SRC-USDA-ERS-EIB-264-2024

Trends, Insights, and Future Prospects for Production in Controlled Environment Agriculture and Agrivoltaics Systems ↗

Economic Information Bulletin EIB-264 / Report EIB-264, overview and Controlled Environment Agriculture: Trend Analysis, pages 1–2
Supports: CEA includes crop production in greenhouses and other structures using horticultural and engineering controls; Systems include greenhouses, vertical agriculture, hydroponics, aquaponics and other indoor methods; Temperature, wind, lighting, precipitation and pests are among controllable factors

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