Controlled-environment agriculture allows farmers to grow fruits and vegetables indoors all over the world and even on Mars. Vertical farms are interwoven into the fabric of our cities, and produce is grown in greenhouses in less densely populated areas. Farmer Louisette Thibault must contain a pest outbreak at indoor farming facilities in and around Montreal, Canada.
Climate challenges have put massive pressure on agricultural production in recent decades. Controlled-environment agriculture has brought the production of fruits and vegetables closer to the point of consumption regardless of weather, heat, or drought. Problems around food equity and access, high-volume grain production and protein shortages remain, but these new farms are helping to reduce water consumption and carbon emissions.
We hear from Evan Fraser imagining himself as the head of composting and recycling at a farm on Mars. He is the director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph and author of Dinner on Mars. Matt Westerlund, a BCG managing director and partner, goes deep on controlled-environment agriculture.
Climate Vision 2050 is a podcast from BCG, a global consulting firm committed to climate and sustainability action. Join us every episode as we explore how the world radically reduced carbon emissions and stepped back from the brink of climate catastrophe.