Evaluating tomato production in open-field and high-tech greenhouse systems

High-tech greenhouse production of vegetables has been proposed as a path to sustainable intensification of food production. While these systems have clear productivity advantages, there are outstanding questions around their overall sustainability that merit evaluation. Using a simulation approach, we assessed crop yields, water, energy, and greenhouse gas footprints, average cost per unit of tomato produced, and net income for Washington State, United States as a case study. Compared to open-field production, high-tech greenhouse resulted in 6.4 times yield per unit area with 231 times energy, 18 times greenhouse gas, and 0.74 times water footprints (per unit of fresh tomato mass). Greenhouse tomato cultivation would need to focus on both reducing the energy needs and shifting to cleaner sources to reduce environmental impacts and lead to sustainable intensification of food production.