5 Trends In Protected Ag Or Controlled Environment Agriculture

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Gene Giacomelli, director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center at the University of Arizona, discusses five trends in the controlled environment or protected ag industry you should consider if you plan to grow under cover or want to expand your operation.

Gene Giacomelli

Gene Giacomelli

  1. 1. Rise In Organic Production

Organic production has increased 15% to 20% every year, Giacomelli says. In fact, some open-field producers are starting to transition to organic greenhouse production.

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Organic, however, is not the “top dog,” but is outranked by product that is pesticide-free or locally grown and can offer health benefits.

“People want to know who grew it and that they didn’t spray chemicals on it,” he explains. “In the greenhouse we can guarantee that with the use of biocontrols and integrated pest management.”

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  1. The Birth Of The Urban Ag Entrepreneur

A big push is being made to investors and growers, or greenhouse builders, to create modern, high-tech greenhouses. Investments into the future of sustainable ag are recognized within the importance of changing food production, Giacomelli says.

“As of right now, however, these high-tech structures are few and too new to determine successful,” he says. “There has been more talk and less movement on their successful creation.”

Many entrepreneurs taking note of the industry’s potential are young and educated, but they don’t necessarily have a back ground in ag.

“Also, many young people are interested and have the attitude of ‘let’s see what we can do to help society’ and they are not totally money driven,” he adds. “I keep hearing about the triple bottom line – economic viability, ecological/environmental viability, and social viability. They will use technology of information flow to become more efficient.”

  1. Artificial Light Or 100% Indoors

The use of artificial light in indoor facilities and using it to grow very high-value crops such as cannabis, where it is legal, is gaining popularity. Giacomelli says some in the floriculture industry have been approached by growers to use some of their greenhouse space to grow cannabis. The cannabis growers pay the floriculture grower a premium for the space, and, in some instances, the extra money has been used to make improvements to the remaining greenhouse facilities.

“I’ve actually seen growers that take the money [from the cannabis growers] and use it to upgrade their facilities,” he says. “One grower said he had always wanted to get into strawberries and now he is able to try it.”

The bottom line however, is more food producers are needed. Giacomelli predicts the trend to produce cannabis will be short term as soon as the value of the crop goes down to more reasonable cigarette levels.

  1. Growing Number Of Small Producers

In the U.S. there are “big guys” such as NatureSweet and Village Farms, who are dedicated to monocrops such as tomatoes and cucumbers. Small family-run operations with a quarter acre to an acre have been around for the last 30 years, but in the last 15 years, Giacomelli says there has been a growing insurgence of small growers who may be only 2,000 to 3,000 square feet.

“Plus, there are purists who want to produce in a closed manner and there are some who realize that all you need is the space the size of a parking lot and you can turn it into a business,” he says,” he says.

  1. Efficiency And Education

Efficiency can be synonymous with making a profit. To help increase producer efficiency, Giacomelli says there is a movement toward more controlled environment ag centers, and he predicts in 10 to 15 years we will begin to see more of these centers around the country. Going hand-in-hand with the centers will be people knowledgeable on the subject matter.

“There will be a demand for what researchers can do in educating young people and in what researchers can do in controlled environments to develop not just growers but industry people to support that growth,” he says. “It will encompass things like greenhouse design, heaters, coolers, plant nutrition, fertigation, and organic production, and also can include marketing, packaging, and branding.”

 

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