Crop Production

Republic of the Philippines
Mindoro State University, Victoria, Oriental Mindoro

College of Agriculture and Allied Fields
Crop Production: "Enhancing Crop Productivity and Quality

through Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), in the
Changing Environment of the Philippines”
By: Dennis Faustine M. Quejada BSA-1 A
Introduction:
As the global population continues to surge, with projections exceeding 9 billion by

2050, the need to ensure food security and sustainable agriculture becomes increasingly critical.
However, traditional farming methods face numerous challenges, such as land scarcity, adverse
weather conditions, and resource limitations. In response, a promising solution has emerged:
controlled environment agriculture (CEA). This innovative approach leverages advanced
technologies to create optimal growing conditions within enclosed environments, enabling year-
round production of high-quality crops. In this research, we explore the potential of CEA as a
transformative tool for revolutionizing sustainable food production.
The concept of CEA involves cultivating plants in a precisely controlled environment,

manipulating variables such as temperature, humidity, light, and nutrient levels. By deploying
these technologies, growers can overcome the limitations of conventional farming and achieve
substantial improvements in efficiency, productivity, and resource utilization. Furthermore, CEA
systems can be implemented in a variety of setups, including vertical farms, greenhouses, and
indoor facilities, making it adaptable to diverse geographical regions and urban settings.
One of the significant advantages of CEA is its ability to provide a stable and secure food
supply throughout the year. Unlike traditional farming, which heavily relies on seasonal
variations and weather patterns, CEA allows for precise regulation of environmental parameters,
ensuring optimal growth conditions regardless of external factors. This enhanced control
minimizes the risks associated with crop failures, pests, and diseases, resulting in consistent
yields and reduced production losses.
Additionally, CEA offers substantial resource efficiencies compared to conventional

farming practices. By optimizing water usage through hydroponic or aeroponic systems, CEA
can significantly reduce water consumption, a critical concern in regions facing water scarcity.
Moreover, nutrient delivery can be precisely calibrated, minimizing fertilizer usage and
mitigating the environmental impact of excessive nutrient runoff into water bodies. Additionally,
CEA reduces reliance on synthetic pesticides, offering a more sustainable and environmentally
friendly alternative.
Furthermore, CEA holds immense potential for transforming agriculture in urban areas.
With the global trend of urbanization, utilizing available space efficiently becomes paramount.
Vertical farming and indoor CEA facilities enable the cultivation of crops in urban environments,
reducing the need for long-distance transportation and ensuring fresh produce is readily available
to urban populations. This integration of agriculture into urban landscapes not only enhances
food security but also promotes local economies and fosters a deeper connection between
consumers and their food sources.
Objectives:
1. Assess the current state of crop production in the Philippines and identify the key
challenges and limitations faced by farmers in the context of the changing environmental
conditions.
2. Evaluate the potential of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) techniques, such as

hydroponics, vertical farming, and greenhouse cultivation, to overcome the limitations of
traditional crop production methods and enhance productivity and quality of crops.
3. Evaluate the impact of CEA practices on resource
conservation, such as water and land use efficiency, as well
as the potential for reducing the reliance on chemical
inputs and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
Changing Environment
Climate change has been a major factor in these low and erratic trends, while capture fisheries have been
mostly affected by overfishing and the destruction of natural habitats. Even livestock has been affected by
the African swine fever (ASF) pandemic, a form of environmental risk that has caused shortages in supply
and soaring prices of pork since 2019.
Benefits of CEA
These advanced farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and other soilless farming methods are
effectively preventing wastage of water and overuse of nutrients. In a controlled environment, the plants
have better health and faster growth, which reduces the need for pesticides and other supplements.
Traditional agriculture makes use of intense applications of herbicides and pesticides to shield crops from
natural threats, though these chemicals have become under increasing scrutiny for the adverse effects they
pose to humans and surrounding ecosystems. Pesticides often contaminate surface water, are toxic to many
non-targeted insects, animals and plants, can eliminate positive and healthy soil microbes, and have been
linked to breast cancer in humans. Farming indoors eliminates crop vulnerability to extreme circumstances
such as these and more common, lower grade pest invasions alike these results to the not necessary use of
pesticide which is the indoor farming is more safe than the traditional one
Difference between traditional produce crop and controlled environment agriculture produce crop
The only exception was in tomatoes where the conventionally produced tomato was rated as having
significantly stronger flavor than the organically produced tomato. However, overall liking was the
same for both organic and conventional samples. As conventional tomatoes also were scored
marginally significantly higher in ripeness and a positive correlation was found between ratings of
flavor intensity and ripeness, the flavor difference observed could not be simply ascribed to the
contrasting growing conditions. Consumer panelists in both tests considered organic produce to be
healthier (72%) and more environmentally friendly (51%) than conventional produce, while 28%
considered organic produce to have better taste.
Costs and Challenges
The many benefits of hydroponic farming do not come without challenges. For small, start-up farmers,
entering into the hydroponic farming world can come with high costs associated with renting the space,
mortgage payments, the renovation of a building or space to accommodate the hydroponic structures, initial
costs for materials (such as LED lights, watering and feed systems, plant racks, seeds, controlled environment
technology, etc), and costs of the labor and electricity to keep the farm up and running. While these entry
costs are high, hydroponic farms have the potential to turn underutilized buildings into farmland to serve the
community and create jobs.
Conclusions
An increasing population, urbanization, and climate change have contributed to decreasing global
stocks of water and arable land per capita. Under these circumstances, more ‘sustainable’ crop
production systems are needed. In other words, more food needs to be produced with less arable land
and less water. Innovative CEA is an essential future agricultural model, and the papers in this SI have
addressed some of the key topics pertinent to advancing CEA. Current advanced CEA production
systems (well-controlled greenhouses and indoor vertical farming) face challenges of high initial
investment and high operational costs. We envision future CEA will employ more advanced technologies
such as automation, nanotechnologies, and artificial intelligence to increase crop productivity and
optimize cost efficiency.
https://www.food-safety.com/articles/8499-is-cea-a-safer-way-to-grow-and-process-rte-
vegetables
https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/11/9/the-future-of-farming-hydroponics

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Republic of the Philippines

Mindoro State University, Victoria, Oriental Mindoro

Crop Production: "Enhancing Crop Productivity and Quality

As the global population continues to surge, with projections exceeding 9 billion by

The concept of CEA involves cultivating plants in a precisely controlled environment,

Additionally, CEA offers substantial resource efficiencies compared to conventional

2. Evaluate the potential of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) techniques, such as

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