Location: Application Technology Research
Project Number: 5082-21000-001-022-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2019
End Date: Jul 31, 2024
Objective:
Evaluate the economic feasibility of adopting water, energy, carbon, substrate, and nutrient-efficient growing practices and consumer preferences for those practices.
Approach:
Estimate the costs, benefits, and financial risks associated with adopting input-efficient strategies. Assess consumers’ purchasing behavior, attitudes, and preferences for “greener” plants. A survey questionnaire will be developed investigate consumer preferences for energy-efficient technologies adopted by greenhouse growers (e.g. to reduce water and other inputs usage and recycling). The questionnaire will be tested with consumers in various cities and market outlets. We expect to have 2,000 survey responses. We will have a representative sample of US consumers to gather purchasing behavior, preferences and attitudes towards energy-efficient technologies as well as choice of market outlets and food safety considerations for greenhouse crops sold at various markets.
