University of Georgia

A website from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Controlled Environment Agriculture at UGA

CEA involves the production of specialty crops — edible, medicinal and ornamental — in indoor systems, such as greenhouses and vertical farms, that allow precise technological control over environmental elements like light, humidity and temperature.

From left, Zhihang Song, assistant professor of horticulture; Ruchika Kashyap, assistant professor of plant pathology; Andrew Ogden, assistant professor of horticulture; Erich Schoeller, assistant professor of entomology; and Rhuanito Ferrarezi, professor of horticulture.

A team of scientists is giving Georgia growers a powerful new tool: cutting-edge research in controlled environment agriculture, designed to take the guesswork out of growing.

Meet the team
Read the Field Report article

CEA Labs

Controlled Environment Agriculture Breeding Lab greenhouse at the University of Georgia Griffin campus
CEA Breeding
CEA Crop Physiology and Production greenhouse
CEA Crop Physiology and Production
CEA Integrated Pest Management greenhouse
CEA Integrated Pest Management
Ruchika Kashyap, assistant professor of plant pathology and UGA Cooperative Extension specialist, works to fight plant disease in controlled environmental systems. Photos taken Nov. 11, 2025 at the Riverbend Greenhouse Complex in Athens, Ga.
Urban and Controlled Environment Pathology
Lettuce and ornamental plants grow in the Athens Riverbend Greenhouse complex

The team aims to help producers in Georgia and beyond optimize crop production strategies and maximize profitability and also train the next generation of students to work in CEA — the fastest growing agribusiness sector in Georgia.