Controlled environment agriculture is growing fast across Latin America and beyond. As of 2026, the global CEA market stands at approximately USD 118 billion, with South America’s segment projected to grow at a CAGR of 14.1% through 2031. This surge is fueled by the urgent need for resilient food production in the face of climate variability and urbanization. It also presents unprecedented opportunities for profitability and sustainability, empowering growers to scale efficiently and meet the growing demand.
However, growth alone doesn't guarantee profitability. One of the most persistent barriers we see in the field: growers scaling up without scaling their systems. Manual fertigation, guesswork-based climate control, and reactive maintenance aren't just inefficient, they're expensive. They cost growers time, yields, and the bandwidth to focus on market development.
That's why we were excited to connect with Dima Chernobilsky, CEO of GrowDirector, ahead of GreenTech Americas. We asked him for two or three case studies from the region that show what happens when growers actually automate, properly. What he shared was compelling.
Below are three real farms using GrowDirector's technology to solve real problems. And if you're a grower, investor, or operator thinking about CEA in this region, I'd strongly recommend reading all three.
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🌱 CEA Census Sponsor Spotlight GrowDirector is a proud sponsor of the 2025 Global CEA Census, the largest industry-wide data initiative in controlled environment agriculture. The Census collects operational benchmarks from growers worldwide to help the sector make smarter investment decisions. |
Every grower we talk to wants the same thing: more control, less guesswork, and time to grow their business instead of just managing it. Here's what that looks like in practice.
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CASE STUDY 01 Creer Hidropónica 📍 Argentina · HydroBasic Kit (HydroDirector + pH, EC, Water Temp Sensors + 3 Dosing Pumps) |
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"Now it's all balanced and growing at the right pace as it should — and the grower has more time to develop my market." |
Pablo Matias Gonzales operates roughly 4,000 sqm (about 1 acre) of NFT tunnel greenhouses growing a variety of greens. His challenge wasn't a lack of ambition, it was a lack of reliable automation. Every system he tried before GrowDirector created more problems than it solved.
The HydroBasic kit changed that. By combining the HydroDirector controller with real-time pH, EC, and water temperature sensors, plus three automated dosing pumps, the operation now runs predictably. And crucially: Pablo's attention is back on the business, not the machinery.
This is the automation dividend. When a grower stops firefighting their systems, they can start building their market.
GrowDirector HydroStarter
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CASE STUDY 02 TAPSA 📍 Mexico · GrowDirector SensorDirector + 5× DryContact Controllers (Air Temp, Humidity, VPD, LUX Sensors) |
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"They went from flipping switches manually to having everything respond to the environment automatically. It's a different operation." |
TAPSA represents a common growth stage in Latin American CEA: a producer who has built real scale, 1 hectare across 4 greenhouses, but whose infrastructure hasn't kept pace with their ambition.
Five DryContact units now control the full climate envelope: louvers for airflow management, exhaust fans for temperature regulation, and roll-up side curtains for humidity and VPD. The SensorDirector feeds real-time air temperature, humidity, VPD, and light (LUX) data into pre-programmed condition triggers, so every electrical device responds to the environment, not to someone's schedule.
For large-format growers, this isn't optional. Manual climate management at 1 ha doesn't scale. TAPSA's move to automation is the kind of infrastructure upgrade that makes the next phase of growth possible and without the need of re-cabling and change the current setup..
SensorDirector Environment Controller
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CASE STUDY 03 Crearlio 📍 Giana · SensorDirector + HydroDirector + DryContact (Integrated Climate & Fertigation Control) |
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"The transition from zero to full automation across four houses changed everything about how they operate." |
HydroDirector and DryContact
Reading across these three farms, a few patterns stand out:
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1. The first automation is the hardest, and the most valuable. None of these growers had functional automation before GrowDirector. That's not unusual. In many markets, the automation tools available haven't been trustworthy, affordable, or appropriate for the scale. When the right system finally arrives, the results are transformational, not incremental. |
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2. Labour savings are real, but the bigger win is cognitive bandwidth. Every grower quoted a version of the same outcome: "I have more time to develop my market." That's not a minor benefit. In early-stage CEA operations, the founder IS the operation, which means any time they spend troubleshooting equipment is time not spent on sales, partnerships, and growth. |
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3. Modular systems are winning. GrowDirector's approach, stackable modules that address specific control layers (fertigation, climate, electrical devices) — seems well-suited to the diverse scale and budget profiles we see in emerging market CEA. Growers don't have to automate everything at once; they can start with the highest-pain problem. |
One of the things I'm most focused on right now, alongside our consulting work, is the 2025 Global CEA Census, a sector-wide data initiative designed to give the industry real benchmarks on what's working and what isn't.
GrowDirector is a proud sponsor of the Census, and it's easy to see why: operational data from farms like Creer Hidropónica, TAPSA, and Crearlio is exactly the kind of evidence the sector needs. Not marketing claims, actual results from real growers, in real conditions.
Automation is no longer a luxury for CEA operations in Latin America and beyond, it's a prerequisite for scale. The three farms GrowDirector shared with me aren't outliers; they're early indicators of what the next generation of regional CEA looks like.
If you're building, funding, or advising a CEA operation in an emerging market and haven't yet had a serious conversation about your control systems, now is the time.
We'll be at GreenTech Americas discussing exactly these themes. If you want to connect there, or if you're interested in how Agritecture can help you evaluate or develop a CEA project in Latin America, reach out.
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Ready to evaluate your CEA project? Let's talk. |
Learn more about GrowDirector: growdirector.com · Download the CEA Census: 2025 CEA Census