The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) needed a clearer picture of the growing Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) sector. Although indoor farming was expanding across the U.S., there was no national-level understanding of who was participating in the space, what their goals were, or how public policy could better support the industry.

CEA is complex, encompassing for-profit tech innovators, nonprofit community farms, academic research centers, and everything in between. USDA wanted to understand not just the technology, but the mission, structure, and diversity of players shaping the future of agriculture.

We led a custom mixed-methods study to map the national landscape of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) in the United States. The project included:

- A nationwide survey of CEA operators, exploring farm structure, sustainability practices, production methods, and organizational goals

- In-depth interviews with a diverse cross-section of operators—from nonprofit community farms to high-tech vertical ag startups

- Integrated quantitative and qualitative analysis to surface patterns in mission, scale, challenges, and innovation

- A final report that distilled complex findings into clear, actionable insights for USDA decision-makers and stakeholders