May 3, 2023

CEA growers can share data in University of California survey

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) growers are being sought to share data with University of California researchers seeking grower input on emerging trends.

Greenhouse operators are encouraged to participate in the 2023 State of Controlled Environment Agriculture survey. IUNU, a technology company that specializes in AI and computer vision solutions for the agriculture industry, is partnering with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources in conducting the survey to share with the CEA industry.

The survey takes approximately 25 minutes to complete. All growers using CEA – greenhouse, high tunnel or indoor – are invited to participate. All data collected is confidential and shared only as anonymous trends. No identifying information is ever shared. Growers who participate will get early access to the survey results report and will get access to an exclusive webinar to discuss the results with the authors of the report, according to the release.

The fourth State of CEA Survey can be completed here.

The report, first released in 2016, was formerly titled “State of Indoor Farming” and managed by Artemis, which was acquired by IUNU in 2021.

This year, IUNU has expanded the survey to include the different leading segments of the controlled environment agriculture industry: greenhouse fruit and vegetable, and greenhouse ornamental production.

UC ANR’s VINE agrifood technology innovation program, Global Controlled Environment Agriculture Consortium, and UC Davis-led AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems are collaborating on the report.

“An industry-led, market-driven approach to guiding innovation priorities and investments is critical as we consider the future of indoor farming,” Gabe Youtsey, UC ANR chief innovation officer and co-founder of The VINE, said in the release. “I’m thrilled to partner with IUNU on the development of this State of CEA report with our UC innovation teams from The VINE, GCEAC and AIFS to create a robust state of CEA report that will guide our CEA open innovation priorities this year.”

Since the survey launched in 2016, more than 500 growers have participated in the survey and more than 2 million people have downloaded the report. The industry reports have become one of the most widely circulated and respected sources of industry data.

“This report is a trusted resource for the industry and we’re thrilled to bring it back in an expanded capacity,” Allison Kopf, IUNU chief growth officer, said in the release. “Over the past year, we’ve seen a swell of news around our industry. This report will go deeper into those stories and share data on how companies are performing, big market opportunities, and the real challenges growers are facing.”

Past CEA reports are available for download at artemisag.com/guides_reports.

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Seattle, IUNU aims to close the loop in greenhouse autonomy and is focused on being a leading controlled environment specialist.

The VINE is California’s agriculture, food and biotech innovation network powered by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Global Controlled Environment Agriculture Consortium – an initiative of The VINE – seeks to build a worldwide ecosystem to bring technology to market that addresses global challenges in food, health and sustainability. GCEAC is an open innovation partnership between industry, university and government sectors in the U.S. and The Netherlands, led from California.