Smart Net-Zero

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | Source | Download |

With global food demand expected to rise by over 50%, expanding agricultural land is not a viable or sustainable solution. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) offers an alternative by using greenhouses, vertical farms, and other technologies to cultivate crops in non-traditional settings, optimizing resource efficiency while reducing environmental impact. Supported by the UNDP Singapore Global Centre and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, this article explores CEA’s potential to transform food systems, highlighting its benefits, challenges, and applications in lower- and middle-income countries. While CEA improves food security, resource-use efficiency, and resilience, high setup costs and energy demands remain barriers to broader adoption. Case studies from India, Kenya, Australia and UK demonstrate innovative models for scaling CEA. The article outlines pathways to support its adoption through multi-sector policy integration, investment in R&D, and hybrid approaches combining low- and high-tech solutions to enhance accessibility and sustainability.