It seems that everybody in 2025 is all of a sudden interested in hydroponics, and other controlled environment agriculture technologies. Some believe that it is the ultimate future solution while others doubt its effectiveness, but what is for sure is that everybody seems to be talking about it. In this 3-minute read, we try and breakdown as to what are the reasons that these modern agriculture techniques have become the buzzwords of today. The Story. Controlled environment agriculture has taken center stage and its hype does not seem to stop anytime soon. But what are the reasons that this modern-day agricultural technique is becoming so popular? Today’s 21st-century world is characterized by global warming, climate change, and urbanization. All these factors now create a conducive environment for the rise and growth of C.E.A. practices. This can be understood very easily by knowing basic plant physiology. The quantity as well as quality of yields of any plant is dependent on some factors or variables, these include:
Soil
Water
Temperature
Light
Nutrients
Climate.
But due to the over-exploitation of our planet by us humans, things have changed. There is a scarcity of arable land and clean water for irrigation while the weather conditions are making new records each year.
Degraded Soil Quality
The problem in todays’ world is that due to over-exploitation, the very soil that was supposed to grow plants is now in deteriorating. According to the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, 146.8 million hectares,
around 30% of the soil in India is degraded. Overuse of chemical pesticides and fertilizers has brought us to the point that we have poisoned our fields and crops and the soil lost its natural nutrients, becoming toxic and contaminated.
Rapid urbanization, development projects, and population growth have caused much of the land being used before for cultivation to be put to non-farming purposes due to the growing demand for resources.
Water Scarcity
Excessive farming led to the water table collapsing as bore wells went deeper and deeper every year. According to a new report by the United Nations titled "Interconnected Disaster Risks Report 2023”, 78% of groundwater in India is overexploited. Urbanisation has played a significant role in destroying the water available and soil quality by disposing of untreated sewage and industrial waste into rivers that feed agriculture.
Climate Change
Climate change is more real than ever before, with rising global temperatures, extreme weather events, and melting glaciers proving its undeniable impact. From devastating wildfires to unpredictable monsoons, nature’s warning signs are everywhere. In such situations, the specific temperatures and climate required for specific plants are unfortunately not available naturally to them.
Urbanization and Climate are at an all-time high and only seem to be growing further from here, so there is a rising need to tackle these challenges brought by them and here C.E.A comes and positions itself as a solution, which mitigates to a certain extent the dependency of farmers on variables such as land, water availability or varying temperatures.
Market Demand
The demand for healthy, more nutritious alternative foods is increasing globally. There is now a well-established consumer market that is more conscious of what they eat and is willing to pay premium prices for healthier alternatives. Categories such as organics, super-foods, hydroponically grown pesticides, etc are trending.
Government support.
This growth trajectory of C.E.A. has also been recognized and is now supported by the government. The Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) launched in 2020 is a flagship scheme under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package that aims to develop agriculture infrastructure.
Eligible borrowers can get credit guarantee coverage under the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme. The government also provides a 3% interest rebate for loans up to ₹2 crore for a period of 7 years.
To very briefly summarise the gist of this article,
the conditions required for healthy plant production are under major threat due to over-exploitation, urbanization, climate change, etc. Although it is very scary it only seems to be getting worse with time.
C.E.A. is a solution that mitigates the dependence upon the variables.
This is being recognised by the market forces which are showing increasing demand for healthier alternative products as well as by the government which are promoting the infrastructure development of these C.E.A projects.
With climate change threatening global food security, CEA offers a resilient, scalable solution for sustainable agriculture.
It supports year-round production, enhances food safety, and ensures supply chain stability
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