Overview: From space experiments to dinner plates
Extreme weather events—from deluges to heat waves—are increasingly threatening crop yields around the world. In response, an international collaboration involving the University of Adelaide, the University of Cambridge, the University of Western Australia and NASA has reimagined how we grow food, turning space-inspired science into practical farming solutions. The work appears in Trends in Plant Science and was selected for a 30th anniversary special issue on the big concepts shaping the future of plant science.
As the paper notes, controlled environment agriculture (CEA) offers a way to domestically grow crops indoors with precise control of light, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and nutrients, while reducing pest risks. This approach could transform how and where food is produced, complementing traditional farming rather than replacing it.
What is controlled environment agriculture (CEA)?
“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,” says Dr. Alison Gill, a postdoctoral researcher at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, University of Adelaide, and the paper’s first author. CEA integrates decades of plant science with modern tracking and control technologies to fine‑tune growth and health, enabling consistent, nutritious harvests independent of outdoor conditions.
The authors argue that the feat is not simply about growing indoors; it’s about building a resilient blueprint for plant production that can adapt to diverse crops and contexts. “The result is food that can be produced anywhere, year-round, with yields up to 20 times greater than traditional agriculture, with much less arable land and water required,” the paper states, highlighting a potential leap in efficiency and sustainability.
Rethinking crops for indoor environments
The research emphasizes that indoor farming should be more than a shrine to lettuce and herbs. A long‑term goal is a pre-breeding pipeline for traditional horticulture, broadacre agriculture and forestry—expanding opportunities beyond “pick-and-eat” crops to a broader set of plant products. “What began as space science, with experiments designed to grow food beyond Earth, has enabled us to create a blueprint to deliver big impacts back home,” says Dr. Gill.
Key advantages
- Year‑round production in diverse climates
- Greater control over nutrient delivery and pest management
- Potential reduction in land use and water input
- Pathways to new crops and bioproducts, including plant‑based pharmaceuticals
Earth‑bound implications and opportunities
The paper envisions concrete, near-term uses that could benefit communities and farmers alike. In Australia, container farms could deliver fresh produce to remote outback communities, shorten food miles, and support farmers during drought by using recycled water. Indoor farming could also enable the production of high‑value bioproducts and medicines, turning CEA into a new frontier of the bioeconomy.
Professor Matthew Gilliham, director of Plants for Space, notes that the work provides a blueprint for practical deployment. “We have identified specific targets that plant scientists must address, and the routes by which this could be achieved, as a prerequisite for controlled environment agriculture to form a viable production platform going forward.”
Challenges on the path to mainstream use
While the promise is compelling, the paper also acknowledges challenges. Early CEA successes have been limited to a few high‑value crops and small‑scale facilities. Scaling up requires advances in energy efficiency, economic viability, and robust crop varieties adapted to indoor conditions. “If implemented to its potential, it would secure fresh food supplies locally all year round, even under extreme weather, from inner cities to the most remote corners of the planet and beyond,” says Professor Alex Webb of Cambridge, emphasizing the need for creative, cross‑disciplinary solutions and sustained investment.
Pathways to implementation and policy considerations
The authors argue that CEA should complement, not replace, traditional farming. Policymaker and industry support—through funding, standardized metrics, and shared infrastructure—could lower barriers to entry and accelerate adoption. The convergence of precise environmental control with advanced plant science offers a rare chance to rethink farming as a sophisticated, location‑agnostic enterprise capable of delivering reliable nutrition amid climate volatility.
Conclusion: A powerful supplement to traditional farming
As the discourse on the future of farming indoors evolves, the collaboration between space science and plant biology provides a practical roadmap for turning ambitious ideas into steady, local food systems. With the right evidence, investment and collaboration, indoor plant science could redefine how we grow, eat, and share food in the 21st century, turning space‑age insight into everyday sustenance.
