Introduction: a new blueprint for growing food
As extreme weather—heavy rainfall, heat waves and droughts—and a rapidly changing climate threaten global crop yields, scientists are reimagining how we grow food. An international team from the University of Adelaide, the University of Cambridge, the University of Western Australia and NASA has outlined a bold vision for farming indoors. Published in Trends in Plant Science and selected for a 30th anniversary special issue on shaping the future of plant science, the work reframes agriculture around controlled environment agriculture (CEA).
What is controlled environment agriculture?
CEA is the practice of growing crops indoors under precise control of light, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and nutrients. It also reduces pest exposure, enabling crops to be produced with greater reliability and fewer inputs. The authors emphasize that CEA is not a replacement for traditional farming but a powerful supplement that can stabilize supply and expand options for growers in challenging environments.
From space labs to Earth’s fields: why this matters
The project grew out of space-focused experiments on growing food beyond Earth and evolved into a practical framework for terrestrial agriculture. Dr. Alison Gill, a postdoctoral researcher at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, explains, “Controlled environment agriculture allows crops to be grown indoors under the precise control of light, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, and nutrients, while reducing pest risks.” The result, she says, is food that can be produced anywhere, year-round, with yields up to 20 times greater than traditional agriculture and using far less arable land and water.
By merging decades of plant science with cutting-edge technologies for tracking crop health, the team argues we can cultivate crops that are more consistent, nutritious and tailored to human needs. The authors also stress the economic and social potential: CEA could boost local food security, reduce food miles and offer drought resilience through water recycling and closed-loop systems.
Practical implications: where and how this could work
The paper highlights several concrete pathways. In Australia, container farms could deliver fresh produce to remote outback communities, cutting transport distances and supporting farmers during dry spells by leveraging recycled water. Indoor plant-based pharmaceuticals and other high-value bioproducts are identified as major growth opportunities, turning indoor spaces into bioeconomy hubs without competing for arable land.
Expanding beyond “pick-and-eat” crops
Current successes have focused on lettuce, herbs, cucumbers and microgreens. The team outlines targets and routes to scale CEA toward traditional horticulture, broadacre agriculture and forestry. A pre-breeding pipeline would help adapt staple crops for indoor growth, broadening the range of crops that can be produced indoors and increasing resilience to climate variability.
Challenges and the path forward
While the potential is compelling, significant hurdles remain. Building and operating high-tech indoor farms efficiently requires integrated systems for precise climate control, energy management and crop health monitoring. Professor Matthew Gilliham, director of Plants for Space, notes that identifying the right targets and development paths is essential to turning CEA into a viable production platform. Meanwhile, Professor Alex Webb of Cambridge emphasizes the need for creative crop adaptation, stating, “We need to match crops to indoor environments with the newest tools, combining environmental precision with plant science.”
Looking ahead: a future where food is grown close to home
With appropriate investment, indoor farming could redefine how and where we grow, eat and share food in the 21st century. If implemented to its potential, CEA could secure fresh produce for cities year-round, support remote communities, and empower farmers to diversify income streams during climate-induced stress. By turning space-age science into everyday practice, the future of farming indoors promises resilience, nutrition and local self-sufficiency for people around the world.
