The University of Sheffield recently hosted the Northern Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Symposium at The Edge, bringing together leading voices from industry, academia, and innovation to discuss the future of sustainable food production.
Organised by the Institute for Sustainable Food Controlled Environment Agriculture research cluster, and in partnership with UK Urban AgriTech (UKUAT), the one-day event showcased the latest developments in controlled environment agriculture, including greenhouse innovation, automation, integration, and sustainable food production systems.
More than 60 guests attended the Symposium, representing 11 universities and 9 industry organisations from across the North of England. Participants included researchers, technology developers, growers, policymakers, and investors, all focused on strengthening collaboration in this rapidly evolving sector.
The programme featured two themed sessions, with expert speakers from the University of Sheffield, University of York, The James Hutton Institute, University of Liverpool, University of Manchester, the UK Agri-Tech Centre, and the UK Urban AgriTech consortium. Presentations highlighted cutting-edge research, commercial innovation, and opportunities for regional partnership.
Sponsored by the UK Agri Tech Centre, the event concluded with the UKUAT Annual General Meeting, offering further opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange.
Controlled Environment Agriculture is playing an increasingly important role in strengthening UK food resilience, improving resource efficiency, and accelerating the transition to net-zero food systems. The Northern CEA Symposium aimed to catalyse collaboration across northern institutions and industries to help drive innovation and deliver impact at scale.
Dr Alana Kluczkovski praised the event, saying: "It was an amazing Symposium. From the speakers, to the audience, it all was perfect and went really well".