CEA innovation in Central America

What do wheat, vaccines, low potassium lettuce and outer space have in common? These were all topics related to controlled environment agriculture that were covered at the International Congress on Controlled Environment Agriculture (ICCEA) last May. Produce Grower, a media partner for the event, was on hand to take it all in.

ICCEA kicked off with a speech by Jorge Arango Arias, Minister of Agriculture in Panama, who discussed two of the biggest challenges for agriculture worldwide: feeding nine billion people in the near future, and growing in a world with changing climates. Furthermore, excessive pesticide and chemical use, and the spread of plant diseases across borders are also strongly affecting growing operations.

Keynote speaker Dr. Toyoki Kozai, author and President of the Japan Plant Factory Association, talked about the six components of a CEA enterprise and its mission: achieving maximum production with minimum inputs and being as environmentally friendly and efficient as possible. Both Kozai’s presentation and others by Japanese speakers made it clear that Japan is heavily invested in advancing CEA and plant factory technology. Growers from all over the world who are interested in Japan’s plant factories and technology have made the long trip to the island country to learn more. See “The state of Japanese CEA” in the March 2015 issue of Greenhouse Management for more information on the topic.

The rest of the congress included presentations on lighting, hydroponic growing systems, efficient use of water, HVAC and nutrient systems, financing/investing in CEA and much more. The energy level stayed high and the conference room was full for the duration of the Congress. The presenters hailed from esteemed institutions such as NASA, the Panamanian government and universities, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Chiba University in Japan and Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

The three days of the conference were packed with information about the latest research, networking opportunities, high level speakers and more. Here are a few highlights from the conference:
 

Experimenting for the future

When it comes to what can be grown using CEA techniques, the sky is the limit. Growers are beginning to experiment with many different types of plants not typically grown in controlled environments, whether in vertical farms or other types of CEA structures. During one of the panels, an attendee wrote in asking about the viability of growing staple crops like rice and soy in CEA environments, taking into consideration that the very concept of CEA 50 to 60 years ago seemed like science fiction.

Panelist Steve Oster from Just Brilliant said that in most vertical farms, he’s seeing growers focus on high profit, premium crops that are sold to chefs and other high-end clients, and that reducing production costs is key to diversifying crop offerings. Dr. Leo Marcelis of the Horticulture and Product Physiology group at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, agreed, and added that “technically speaking, we can grow any plant, but economically, I think we should focus on products with a high added value, and much later, [staple crops]. But there’s still a long way to go to make that economically profitable.”
 

Testing the boundaries

When it comes to current research, Dr. Caleb Harper, founder of MIT’s City Farm research project, is experimenting with growing staple crops such as cotton indoors, while Dr. Gary Stutte, Senior Plant Scientist, shared results of NASA’s recent experiments with potatoes, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, rice and carrots, among others. NASA’s goal is to provide one salad per week for astronauts in space.

Dr. Hiroshi Shimizu of Kyoto University reported on the research being done in Japan with genetically modified crops with different benefits as well. For example, a company called Dr. Vegetable is working on a low-potassium lettuce that is ideal for people with certain dietary restrictions. Dr. Eiji Goto of Chiba University, also in Japan, says that rice is being used as a vehicle for vaccines instead of syringes, because the former doesn’t need to be refrigerated and is a fifth of the cost. They call this type of medicine a plant-made pharmaceuticals, or PMP.
 

Lighting the way

Among the other topics that garnered great interest were lighting developments and research, especially when it came to the usage of LEDs of different colors and intensities. One interesting point presented was the possibility of using LEDs in places that typically have sufficient natural light in greenhouse settings, like Tucson, Ariz., for the benefits that the lights offer the plants; however this will only be a possibility if LED costs go down.
 

Controlling the situation

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) was another important topic discussed. Dr. Nadia Sabeh, a mechanical engineer at Guttmann & Blaevoet Consulting Engineers, addressed the topic of choosing the right control system for your operation. She reminded attendees that it’s not just what’s on the inside of a growing operation that matters; the local climate and geography will have a major impact on designing a climate control system. During a panel discussion the point was made that climate control may only be five percent of your total greenhouse investment, but it can give you 24/7 peace of mind because, as we know, humans will never be able to get there as fast as needed. In other words, don’t overlook this vital part of your CEA business.
 

Growing for the future

The conference finished up with sessions on investment and a lesson from Will Kain, senior vice president of Rusheen Capital Partners. When looking for investors for your CEA operation, he said, be prepared to be pushed to be bigger, faster, stronger and be prepared to be wrong — and that’s OK. It can be a difficult process and there is always room for growth.