ArticlePNAS nexus2025
The future potential of controlled environment agriculture.
Article in PNAS nexus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- From Microalgal Biomass to Products: Downstream Processing Technology Gaps and the Road to Commercial Diversification.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Towards Functional Fertilisers: Feed Composition Shapes Microbial Community Structure and Viability in Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Frass.Environmental microbiology · 2026Article
- Controlled environment agriculture as urban infrastructure: advancing a public agenda for spatial equity.Urban informatics · 2026Review
- Modern approaches and future prospects in lettuce breeding for controlled environment agriculture.Frontiers in plant science · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The production of high-quality food needs to increase to feed the growing global population. Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) systems in a vertical farm setting-in which several layers are stacked above each other, thus increasing the area for growth-can substantially boost productivity for crops, algae, mushrooms, fish, insects, and cultured meat. These systems are independent of climate, weather, and region, offering reduced environmental impact, although they come with high energy demands. An easy-to-understand, quantitative performance assessment of the theoretical potential for these 6 CEA systems is proposed here. It compares them against the world's main food production system: field production of maize, wheat, rice, and soybean. CEA could play a pivotal role in the global food supply if efficiencies in energy, control of growth environments, and waste stream utilization are vastly improved. Technological advancements, targeted policy support and public engagement strategies will be necessary to significantly reduce production costs and increase public acceptance.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.