Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Nat Food. 2023 Aug;4(8):648-653. doi: 10.1038/s43016-023-00819-5. Epub 2023 Aug 10.
Terrestrial controlled environment agriculture (CEA) will have an increasingly important role in food production. However, present CEA systems are energy- and resource-hungry and rarely profitable, requiring a step change in design and optimization. Here we argue that the unique nature of space controlled environment agriculture (SpaCEA), which needs to be both highly resource efficient and circular in design, presents an opportunity to develop intrinsically circular CEA systems. Life-cycle analysis tools should be used to optimize the provision and use of natural or electrical light, power, nutrients and infrastructure in CEA and/or SpaCEA systems, and to guide research and development into subsystems that bring strong environmental advantages. We suggest that SpaCEA public outreach can also be used to improve the perception of terrestrial CEA on Earth by using space as a gateway for exhibiting CEA food growing technologies. A substantial focus on SpaCEA development should be viewed as an efficient contribution to addressing major current CEA challenges.
陆地控制环境农业（CEA）将在食品生产中发挥越来越重要的作用。然而，目前的 CEA 系统能源和资源消耗巨大，很少盈利，需要在设计和优化方面进行重大改变。在这里，我们认为太空控制环境农业（SpaCEA）的独特性质为开发内在循环的 CEA 系统提供了机会，它需要在设计上既具有高度的资源效率，又具有循环性。生命周期分析工具应该用于优化 CEA 和/或 SpaCEA 系统中自然光和电力、营养物质和基础设施的供应和利用，并指导研发具有强大环境优势的子系统。我们还建议，利用太空作为展示 CEA 食品种植技术的门户，可以通过 SpaCEA 的公众宣传来改善人们对地球 CEA 的看法。应该将对 SpaCEA 发展的大量关注视为解决当前 CEA 主要挑战的有效贡献。
