greenhouses I shade net I hydroponics I aquaponics Vertical indoor growing system.
Undercover production technology is an agricultural management system that has demonstrated its efficiency in intensifying food production. These systems, whether it is in plastic covered greenhouses or under shade net structures, constitute a feasible alternative for ensuring food supply, which is one of the greatest challenges faced by humankind in the twenty-first century. Technology has been able to meet the challenges related to greenhouse farming in both contributing to overcoming its limitations, correcting adverse impacts and ensuring system sustainability.
Greenhouse Technology for Sustainability Research Trends Increase on
T
he current growth trend drastically. According to food production of the human population, industry authors, despite the urgency together with the evolution of addressing this global problem, it of consumption patterns, is receiving little attention from the increasing demand and food waste scientific community or the political are placing unprecedented pressure sphere, given the lack of objectives in on agricultural systems and natural quantitative terms. resources. Therefore, the supply of food However, technological development is one of the greatest challenges that provides the fundamental elements humankind must face in the twenty-first to take on these challenges and to century. Agricultural ecosystems are the contribute to achieving a greater principal providers of food. sustainability in agriculture, both in Sustainability Sciences can be defined terms of resource depletion and as a discipline that studies the ways to socio-economic and environmental reach a sustainable society through the dimensions. The greenhouse industry understanding of interactions among is continually developing new strategies nature, humans and society. It brings and technologies to resolve specific together a great variety of academic limitations of the crops, reducing any disciplines. At the related environmental Many researchers indicate end of the 90s, impact and adapting that, in order to fulfil the sustainability was to new market linked to ecosystems requirements. objective of food safety in and their ability to Therefore, a sustainable way, food keep their delivered soilless crops; the production should be service flows in comprehensive increased substantially environmental, control of the factors while, at the same time economic and social that constitute the contexts. It also relates the ecological footprint microclimate inside to the development the greenhouse; the of agriculture is reduced of agriculture and to creation of vertical drastically. the sustainable use of agro-ecosystems that water. can be located in urban environments; Many researchers indicate that, in order the development of specific to fulfil the objective of food safety environmentally sustainable solutions for in a sustainable way, food production supplying greenhouse production with should be increased substantially renewable energy; the development of while, at the same time the ecological new materials and structures capable footprint of agriculture is reduced of optimising production etc., are all
4 Undercover farming I March/April 2021 I Volume 18 No 2
Soilless salad growing system.
Automated climate control screens.
now possible. Furthermore, technology has enabled the diversification of water sources for irrigation where this resource is the principal limiting factor, such as the use of reused water, desalinated seawater or rainwater collection. The research in greenhouse technologies (GT) revolves around six topics: the use of water for irrigation, the design of the optimum structure of the greenhouse, conserving the soil in the best productive conditions, energy consumption of the system as a whole, climate control within the facility and pest control.
6
