First Findings from the 2024 Controlled Environment Ag Census
September 18, 2024 
From May 31 to Aug. 14, 2024, nearly 500 growers from around the world took the Global CEA Census, a research project that aims to build a dataset that reflects the true state of the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry. CEAg World, a new business venture of Meister Media Worldwide, partnered with Agritecture on the census for the first time this year.
Henry Gordon-Smith, CEO and founder of Agritecture, shared initial findings from the fourth edition of the census during his opening keynote speech at the CEAg World Conference and Expo in Raleigh, NC, on Aug. 28, 2024.
Each year, the census research centers around a different topic in CEA. This year’s theme was technology, looking specifically at the levels and types of technology growers already use and how they plan to expand their technology use in the future. Past editions have honed in on the demographics of CEA growers, the impact of COVID-19 on the industry, and sustainability.
During his keynote at the first CEAg World Conference and Expo, Henry Gordon-Smith of Agritecture shares initial findings from the 2024 Global CEA Census.
Photo courtesy of CEAg World
Data From the 2024 CEA Census Showed That:
- Renewable energy is important.
- Growers are more concerned about infrastructure challenges and affordability when buying new tech.
- Most growers plan to increase their production area in the next 12 to 24 months.
- Most growers are seeking solutions for the seeding, harvesting, and postharvest areas of their operations.
- It’s important for all parts of the industry to work together.
“The more we work together, the more we’re going to grow,” Gordon-Smith says. “We have a lot of challenges and need to collaborate in order to survive and to thrive. There’s an art to sharing data without sharing anything that’s confidential.”
Taking the Pulse of Ag Tech in CEA
This year’s census surveyed growers about the types of technology they’ve implemented in the following areas of their CEA operations:
- Climate control
- Lighting control
- Seeding
- Soil testing
- Irrigation
- Fertigation
- Weed control
- Crop-monitoring
- Harvesting
- Postharvest
Growers indicated whether they use sensors, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), mechanical equipment, or manual labor in their facilities. Then, they were asked which areas of operation they planned to improve with new technology over the next year and how far along they were in implementing it. Answer options ranged from “not considering” and “researching solutions” to “seeking options,” “evaluating vendors,” and “negotiating pricing.”
For more, continue reading at CEAgWorld.com.
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