If you are into agriculture, then you definitely must have thought about turning your plans into a reality in a controlled environment. This has certainly been quite a popular option for many years now and I am sure that you are aware of at least some of the advantages of doing this. If not, then you should continue reading to learn more about what controlled environment agriculture (CEA) actually is, as well as what its benefits are.

Once you learn those things, you will be able to figure out if this is something you want to do or not. If you decide that you do want to do it, then you will have to decide where to get your supplies, which is another significant question and another topic that we will cover below. Let us take it one step at a time, though, and start with the very basics. Here we go.

What Is Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)?

As the name says it, CEA is the production of plants in a controlled environment in which you will keep the growing conditions at an optimum throughout the entire process, i.e. the life cycle of the plant. Due to scarcity of resources and climate changes, this method of plant production has basically become much more used than the conventional farming practices that were in place for a long, long time. Since you have more control over numerous variables when doing things this way, you are highly more likely to succeed in growing whatever it is that you are trying to grow.

This leads not only to a larger production volume but also to a higher quality of the plants that you are growing. Of course, resources are also protected this way, as they are not wasted. By controlling variables such as temperature, humidity, light and more, you will be able to use the resources more efficiently while making more produce and ensuring its high quality.

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There are, of course, different CEA techniques that people use, ranging from simple net covering to basically fully automated processes. What you will choose depends on the resources you have, in terms of both location and money. Before you decide if this is the right move for you, though, you probably want to learn a bit more about its benefits since you want to be sure what these techniques can actually bring to the table.

What Are The Benefits?

Once you start getting properly informed on this topic, you will realize that there are quite a lot of benefits of controlled environment agriculture. By being able to exert control over those variables that we have mentioned above, you can become more successful in the entire process of growing the plants you want to grow. Let us now check out some of the most important benefits and thus help you understand exactly why people are resorting to this practice.

Resource and energy efficiency is perhaps the biggest benefit that you need to be aware of when it comes to CEA. By controlling the temperature and other significant variables, you will be able to use up fewer resources during the production process, meaning that you won’t let anything go to waste. Plus, leveraging the outside temperatures and the general weather and adapting it to your particular needs will help you use much less energy, which will also allow you to protect your equipment. You will also reduce the waste of water, as well as the use of pesticides and fertilizers.

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Another significant advantage of this technique lies in the fact that you can organize an all-year-round production of seasonal products. There is no need for you to wait until the outside conditions are optimum in order to grow certain plants since you can now control those conditions and create any type of environment, you need for the product to actually grow. I suppose you can understand the benefit of producing certain plants throughout the entire year.

In addition to this, the production volume will also increase, which will definitely be a huge benefit, especially for those people who are selling the produce that they grow. Of course, the quality of produce will also improve and I am sure you understand why that is important. Thanks to the fact that you are creating the perfect environment, you’ll not only increase the volume but also improve the quality, which is undeniably a huge benefit.

Where To Get The Supplies You Need?

Once you decide to start your own CEA project, you will need to get all the equipment and the supplies that you will need during this process. If you take a look at what Prospiant or similar places have to offer, you will get a better idea about what it is that you actually need. That will help you make a list of the supplies you have to get, but it still doesn’t answer your question of where to get those things.

Well, to put things simply, the trick is in finding a great supplier that you will cooperate with within this process and that will provide you practically with everything you need. If you don’t find a great company to work with, you are highly likely to end up disappointed with the services and the supplies you will get, which is certainly not what you want. This basically means that you will need to divert all your focus towards finding and choosing the perfect company.

If you are wondering how to make this choice, let me give you a few significant tips. There are a couple of important factors that you will need to focus on when trying to make the correct choice here. First things first, you should check how experienced certain companies are when it comes to CEA in general, and then you should have a look at their selection of products. On top of all that, you will need to check their reputation, so as to make sure that you are choosing a trustworthy supplier.