SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHT | 26 SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHT | 27 The study explores ways to decarbonise Decline in numbers of CEA growers controlled environment agriculture (CEA) Because of recent higher energy costs, in 2022 while keeping it profitable and workable, so production from the sector reached its lowest level that growers can supply high-quality food since recordings began 30 years ago. But because to the British market in environmentally and CEA has so many potential benefits – among them the ability to boost British food security and aordability financially sustainable ways. It also provides – Defra recently commissioned a report on the gains, robust findings to inform investments in costs, feasibility and scalability of current and future SECTOR CEA and the associated technologies and industrial horticulture models. The work was carried infrastructure, highlighting that the right out by Dr Diana Khripko and Dr Samuel Short from IfM methods can help CEA to contribute to greater Engage, and Dr Bernhard Strauss and Dr Pantea Lotfian from Camrosh. The report was published in December decarbisati food security and the UK’s net-zero goal. 2023. British agriculture comprises both traditional water- “Defra’s agri-food evidence programme supports intensive growing methods in open fields and horticultural the productivity, environmental sustainability, operations such as controlled environment agriculture risks and trade-os of farming systems. This study Controlled (CEA), some of which are highly energy-intensive. The was commissioned to provide context around scope of the Defra report was to explore the potential to opportunities and barriers to the sustainable growth environment improve the sustainability credentials and feasibility of and development of the horticulture sector. Whilst it is the latter. clear from the report that there is no silver bullet, the agriculture information and data collated and disseminated will be CEA is an umbrella term covering several dierent of great use as the sector looks to further decarbonise, with Defra horticultural sub-sectors characterised by their separation whilst facilitating further resilience and productivity of crops from the natural environment, and their ability to opportunities.” (Statement from Defra, 2023) control parameters like temperature, humidity, nutrients and light. Glasshouses and polythene tunnels are the Carbon-intensive infrastructure most well-known examples, but other types of set-up, such as indoor and vertical farms, are also emerging. The CEA sector has a considerable carbon footprint Industrial sustainability While CEA is high-yielding, water- and land-ecient, for its size, but the technologies it builds on do not experts from IfM Engage have and historically allowed for cheap food production, it is inherently yield high emissions. Over the last couple collaborated with policy experts energy-intensive, and in the UK it predominantly runs on of decades, growers in CEA have overwhelmingly natural gas-fired technologies. relied on combined heat and power (CHP) energy from Camrosh to deliver a report generation in line with established policy. CHP is an on current and future energy The findings suggest that CEA can contribute to greater energy-ecient technology that even allows many food security, food aordability and the net-zero goal growers to sell electricity to the national grid. Carbon technologies deployed in food dioxide from the combustion process is often extracted when the following recommendations are followed: production, commissioned by • Energy-eciency measures should be encouraged to enrich the atmosphere in the growing operations by the Department for Environment, throughout the sector, with a focus on integrating low/ boosting photosynthesis. But deployed CHP is primarily zero-carbon energy supply systems into new CEA fuelled by natural gas and releases a great amount Food and Rural Aairs (Defra). builds. The necessary technologies already exist for of captured carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The low-carbon CEA and are largely proven. challenge, therefore, is to ensure that the energy used • Support, including from policy mechanisms, is required to meet CEA energy demand comes from renewable for CEA to move forwards in a low-carbon manner. energy sources by deploying low-carbon technologies, This presents a significant opportunity for the UK and and that its supply is reliable. The report seeks to can have a positive impact on both local and national clarify the current energy demand of the sector, and economies. the requirements for deploying alternative energy • Recommendations should be put in place now to technologies, and to identify how current and future facilitate the long investment horizons of CEA, typically needs can be met. 20–50 years. Current investments will impact the state of food production in 2050.