\u201cI\u2019ve always been fascinated by the tension between meeting present-day food needs and ensuring long-term sustainability, especially given what we know about ecological constraints and the mixed legacy of industrial agriculture,\u201d Aliu says. \u201cAt its core, my research asks: When we bring high-tech farming into cities and communities, who benefits and who doesn\u2019t? What are the real impacts on people, neighborhoods, and the environment?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of Controlled Environment Agriculture operations in the United States more than doubled between 2009 and 2019, from 1,476 to 2,994. As Aliu began to research the motivations behind this growth, he found that the discourse around CEAs was theoretical or promotional in nature\u2013an unhelpful \u201cagricultural techsplaining\u201d approach to an increasingly consequential method in the food system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere was a clear and urgent need for real-world, holistic data, and that was the inspiration for my dissertation,\u201d he says. \u201cI saw the opportunity to, at the very least, foreground and perhaps trailblaze situational and operational approaches to system sustainability in this rapidly evolving sector.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The data he\u2019s collected thus far suggests that large greenhouses tend to have stronger governance structures, but they only slightly outperform container farms\u2013a modular, small-scale type of CEA system based on the idea of retrofitting a shipping contained into an indoor or vertical farm\u2013in terms of environmental footprint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOn the other hand, container farms often show greater economic resilience and make more tangible contributions to their local communities,\u201d he says. However, these outcomes are not fixed; changing even one or two conditions\u2013such as using renewable energy or providing employee benefits\u2013can lead to very different results. <\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2130\/Sheriff-Aliu-03.jpg\")
The story behind the numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While conducting his dissertation research, Aliu used participatory research methods to develop case studies of working CEAs in Missouri and New Jersey. This included working alongside CEA employees to carry out day-to-day tasks, observing operations, talking with people, and gathering data. \u201cSome days I was packing produce into boxes; transplanting seedlings from the nursery to the grow channels, making deliveries to customers; or conducting interviews with workers, suppliers, and neighbors,\u201d he says, \u201cOther times, I was poring over company records or simply walking around the facility, observing daily operations and taking detailed notes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was both fun and rigorous,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moving beyond numbers is a crucial aspect of his approach. While his early review of existing research on CEA revealed the lack of studies on their sustainability, he also felt concerned about what he calls methodological monotony. \u201cThere was an overreliance on life cycle assessments and greenhouse gas emissions. While those metrics are important, they don\u2019t tell the full story,\u201d he says, noting that utilizing a mixed-methods approach has allowed him to investigate multiple dimensions of sustainability simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEthnography gave me access to the lived realities of CEA operations: day-to-day routines, company records, and the perspectives of critical stakeholders across the value chain,\u201d he says. \u201cTaken together, these methods provide a much more nuanced and grounded picture of the sustainability realities of CEA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And despite the sense of Controlled Environment Agriculture systems being a futuristic, white-collar, automated innovation for agriculture, Aliu says he was surprised to realize how much physical labor is necessary for a successful operation. \u201cAs one participant put it, there’s still a lot of \u2018janitorial\u2019 work that keeps the system from collapsing,\u201d he says. \u201cThat day-to-day maintenance is critical, yet often invisible in discourse. Low-cost robotics might help, as some companies practice, but that opens up an entirely different set of questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd although the sector brands itself as data-driven, most under-utilize their software platforms,\u201d he adds. \u201cEntering foundational data (e.g, planting date) demands staff time many operations can\u2019t spare, or sensors and cameras that are priced out of their budget. We still know too little about these hidden labor costs and what they mean for sustainability in practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2130\/Sheriff-Aliu-02.jpg\")