Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)

• Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) involves cultivating crops in an enclosed environment using technology to ensure optimal growing conditions
• CEA modifies the natural environment to achieve optimal plant growth

Course Content Overview

• Introduction to Protected Agriculture (PA)
• Present status of PA both nationally and globally
• Basics of greenhouse construction
• Methods for controlling climatic conditions within PA systems
• Usage of soilless culture systems
• Management of crops specifically under PA systems
• Formulating nutrient solutions tailored for soilless culture
• Techniques for post-harvest handling of high-value crops
• Conducting cost-benefit analyses and budget preparations for greenhouse ventures

Domains of Agriculture

• Protected Culture
• Indoor Culture
• Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA)
• Greenhouse Cultivation

Crops suited to CEA

• Vegetables: Tomato, Gherkin, lettuce, cabbage, bell paper, leafy vegetables
• Cut Flowers: Gerbera, rose, chrysanthemum, Gypsophila
• Foliage ornamentals: Coleus, begonia, dracaena, Ferns, senservaria
• Small Fruits: Strawberries, raspberries, passion fruit, melon
• Herbs: Rosemary, basil, oregano lavender, parsley, coriander
• Nursery plants: vegetables, field crops, fruit crops, forest crops

Differences from Open (Outdoor) Farming

• Management and Technology: CEA involves greater farmer attention, housing and environment control, selection of specific crops and varieties, nursery management, specialized growing systems with fertigation, and higher mechanization and automation
• Input Use: CEA requires specific housing structures, machinery, improved materials, and consumables
• Output: CEA aims for high-quality and high-yield crops
• Environmental Impact: CEA seeks to be more environmentally friendly

Reasons to use CEA

• Crop protection from adverse environmental conditions like extreme temperatures, prolonged rain, high winds, snow, salinity issues, acidity, toxicity, low nutrients, poor soil conditions, or soil infections
• Yield Increase and Stabilization: Optimizes crop requirements (water, fertilizer, environment), uses hybrid varieties, and avoids crop failures
• Year-Round Production: Eliminates seasonal variations, leading to higher market prices
• Quality Enhancement:
  • External: Achieved through optimal conditions, minimal environmental disturbance. and proper harvesting.
  • Internal: Achieved by optimum conditions, reduced agrochemical use, micronutrient application, and proper harvesting

Further Benefits of CEA

• Labor and resource efficiency (water, fertilizer)
• Promotes farm mechanization
• Suited for market-oriented crop production (local off-season and export markets)
• Solution for fragmented farmlands

Global Status

• Commonly practiced in temperate/subtropical (low temp), tropical (rain/wind/pests), and desert (heat/cold/pests) climates
• Practiced in Netherlands, USA, China, Germany, Japan, Russia, Mexico, Columbia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Israel, Middle-east
• Used for local consumption and export
• Global Area: 5,630,000 ha in 2018
• Largest area are China and Netherlands, Spain, Korea, Japan
• Leaders in production are China and Japan
• Commonly grown crops are tomato, capsicum leafy vegetables, eggplant and cucumber
• Key features: Verti-crop technology, individual farms/companies, developed inputs, sophisticated machines, increased environmental concern, and cultivated variety of fruits and vegetables

Sri Lankan Status

• Introduced in 1997 to protect crops from rainfall & provide optimum crop environment
• Common Techniques: Net houses, poly-tunnels and rain shelters
• Common Crops: Tomato, cucumber, bell pepper
• Key Promoters: Department of Agriculture, Export Development Board, National Agribusiness Centre
• PAEA: Pioneer active body of PA field in SL
• Floral industry is expanding sector
• Plants include: Roses, Gerberas, Tulips, Chrysanthemum
• Companies; Lassana Flora, Hayleys, Ceylon foliage
• Large scale exotic: CIC agri business, Hayleys agriculture, Ceylon agroventure, Kanara exports, Keels super, Cargills, Glomark
• PA mainly practiced in up country and low country wet zone
• High temperatures and lower solar radiation are common issues

Concerns in Sri Lankan

• Discontinuation: Higher tendency, specially small scale farmers
• Reasons; Severe pest and disease incidents, Labor unavailability, Need of higher level of knowledge, technology and decision making abilities
• Challenges: Inefficiencies in marketing and transportation (50%), unavailability of employment/time (17%), pests and illnesses (13%), low profit (7%)

Entrepreneur Considerations

• Target Market: Who the products will be sold to
• Operational Costs: Sorting, grading, packaging costs
• Transportation: Means and associated costs

Measures For Upliftment

• Training at farmer levels & technology utilization
• Evaluating ongoing/completed PA projects
• Linking growers with support systems to minimize costs/risks and improve profits
• Attract younger farmers to invest and implement technologies

Types of protected structures

• According to Technology:
  • Fully protected house
  • Semi-protected house
  • Shade or net houses
  • Other plant house
• According to Size
  • Large Scale: more than 2500 ft²
  • Medium Scale: 750 – 2500 ft²
  • Small Scale: 250 – 750 ft²