Yes, the fields of urban and alternative agriculture and applied technology are becoming mainstream. A number of highly-respected universities and community colleges in the United States, notably the University of Arizona, Cornell, Texas A&M and Santa Fe Community College offer innovative degree programs, and even advanced specialty programs in greenhouse management and alternative agriculture. The economic impact of the indoor agriculture field was expected to reach $27 billion by 2020. Although slowed by the global pandemic, the need for education and training in the field is expected to expand exponentially.
Private industry and government agencies are also heavily invested in the future of alternative agriculture, and greenhouse growing is a major part of that investment. Internships and technical training programs, entrepreneurship seminars, and educational programming about nutrition, food safety, food production, hydroponics and aquaponics have become widely available for students at all levels, even in some cases in elementary school settings. In urban areas, redevelopment of former warehouses and factories into growing spaces is also a major new direction in the effort to provide more availability and better quality fresh food to underserved populations. Urban farming endeavors, much of it based on greenhouse growing and high-tech methods, are increasingly funded by charitable and not-for-profit organizations, including local food banks and shelters.
