Could The Idea of Smart Greenhouses Help Bring Back Food Production

Image by DimaBerlin on Shutterstock

Across Australia and around the world, researchers and innovators are experimenting with smart greenhouses as a way to bring food production back into the heart of our cities. These spaces combine traditional farming principles with advanced technology, sensors, automated ventilation and smartphone apps to create controlled environments where crops can thrive in places once thought impossible. Beneath Sydney’s Barangaroo towers, underground farms are already producing leafy greens, while large-scale projects in Spain, China and South Australia are showing how renewable energy and desalination can power food systems in challenging climates.

Razor’s Edge Reporter Thomas Koutis spoke with Vera Xia, Lecturer in Design and Urban Technologies at the University of Sydney

Hosted on air on December 18, 2025, on Razor’s Edge by Annamarie Reyes