Sustainable Approaches to Controlled Environment Agriculture

This Major Portfolio explores the role sustainable controlled environment agriculture has in responding to concerns about local food security in a cold weather climate such as Canada. The technologies and processes examined within this Major Portfolio are plant factories with artificial light (PFALs), aquaponics, passive solar energy, photovoltaic, cogeneration and geothermal greenhouses, as well as a household hydroponic vertical growing kit for home and office food production. While some of the technology that is assessed is well established, others represent fairly new developments within the arena of CEA and require further advancement to assess whether they have a place as an adaptation response to climate change or can effectively play a roll in a local food systems approach to community food security in Canada.

An essential question that guided my Major Portfolio research is, in what way, if at all, can growing food in an enclosed environment be a response to a local food systems approach to community food security in a cold weather climate such as Canada? As part of my Major Portfolio I examine under what conditions sustainable CEA technologies can be a part of a strategy aimed toward greater food security. The following are questions that informed my Major Portfolio research:

• What are the most recent developments in sustainable CEA?
• What are the groups, organizations and businesses that are operating in this space?
• What are potential ways in which sustainable CEA can serve as a mitigation and adaptation strategy to climate crisis?
• How can the concerns levied towards 'sustainable' CEA from the perspective of climate crisis be resolved?
• How can sustainable CEA technologies be adapted to reflect the priorities of food security and food sovereignty movements?