**4. Cultivation**

Cultivation is a vital starting point in algae biomass production and hence choice of production site, strain and cultivation system are very crucial in attaining high biomass productivity. In addition, seasonal influence, crop losses, harvesting processes and nutrient and water recycling are some of the primary governing factors influencing biomass yield and production economics (**Figure 3**). The following section will cover the recent advances in some of the key areas mentioned above.
