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A groundbreaking review paper titled “Space Agriculture: A Comprehensive Systems-Level Review of Challenges and Opportunities” has been published in Agriculture (MDPI) by Ehsan Fazayeli, in collaboration with Aaron Lee M. Daigh, Cassandra Palmer, Santosh Kumar Pitla, David Jones, and Yufeng Ge.
The review provides a structured, systems-level synthesis of the major challenges facing sustainable agriculture beyond Earth. It examines key environmental differences such as solar energy availability, atmospheric conditions, and reduced gravity; critical resource constraints including water, soil, and nutrient availability; biological complexities related to crop selection and plant health; and operational factors such as space utilization, psychological impacts, and overall system resilience.
By integrating research from planetary science, plant biology, space systems engineering, biotechnology, robotics, and controlled-environment agriculture (CEA), the paper highlights both current limitations and emerging strategies for future space food systems. These strategies include the use of extraterrestrial regolith, advanced hydroponic systems, targeted crop selection and genetic engineering, and the deployment of robotics, sensors, and artificial intelligence (AI) for monitoring, automation, and closed-loop control.
Together, this work provides a comprehensive roadmap for designing resilient agricultural systems capable of supporting long-duration missions on the Moon and Mars, while also offering insights applicable to sustainable and resource-efficient agriculture on Earth.
Read the full article: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/24/2541
Date: 12/08/2025