Advancing controlled environment urban agriculture: integrating LED spectral engineering and intelligent nutrient delivery systems for optimized growth across diverse crop species
Urban controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) has emerged as a technologicallyadvanced approach to food production that seeks to address land scarcity, climateinstability, and the growing demand for fresh produce in cities. This reviewexamined the role of smart technologies and automation, sustainability andeconomic performance, and the major challenges and future directions shapingurban CEA. The evidence shows that sensor-based monitoring, IoT-enabledcontrol systems, predictive models, and automation have improved precisionin environmental regulation, nutrient delivery, and light management,thereby strengthening productivity and operational consistency. Urban CEA alsodemonstrates importantadvantages inland-useefficiency, water conservation, andnutrient-use control, particularly in hydroponic and vertically stacked systems.However, these gains are moderated by high energy demand, infrastructurecosts, operational complexity, and dependence on a limited range of high-valuecrops. The literature further reveals important research gaps in multi-cropoptimization, cultivar development for indoor systems, and integrated assessmentsof technical, economic, andenvironmentalperformance.Policysupport,regulatoryalignment, and context-specific scale-up strategies remain critical to long-termviability. Urban CEA therefore holds significant promise, but its future depends onwhether innovation can move beyond technical efficiency toward economicallyresilient, environmentally credible, and socially relevant production systems.