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UCL ICCS delivers workshop exploring the future of technology-enabled food systems
13 April 2026
UCL Institute of Communications and Connected Systems recently brought its research community together for a dynamic day of technical talks, knowledge exchange and collaboration.
On 23 March 2026, UCL Institute of Communications and Connected Systems hosted a one-day workshop titled, “Agrifood Electronics for Sustainable Food Systems: Devices, Sensors & Network”.
The workshop commemorated and presented key outputs from the Horizon Europe-funded NESTLER project (oNe hEalth SusTainabiLity partnership between EU-AFRICA for food sEcuRity). It brought together over 40 researchers, industry partners and stakeholders across the agrifood technology sectors in UK, EU and Africa to explore the future of technology-enabled food systems.
NESTLER is a joint project between the EU and African member states bringing together interdisciplinary technological advances to effectively monitor the well-being of animals, plants, and humans in a holistic approach. Its novelty lies in the development and integration of advanced technologies such as smart farming sensors, remote sensing technologies, etc. to solve and address real-life challenges in global food systems.
Beyond highlighting the technical advances achieved by the project, the workshop also hosted talks by partners across industry and academia. Speakers presented on a range of topics including sensing technology advancements for crop quality assessment, real-world findings, plant-wearable solutions for crop health monitoring and the future of global food systems. While most of the talks focused on cassava farming in Nigeria as a core case study, the interactive format of the day encouraged participants to explore future implications for building sustainable and resilient food systems.
The opening remarks at the workshop were delivered by Professor Izzat Darwazeh, Director of UCL ICCS and Principal Investigator of the UCL team. Other speakers included Mr. Olalekan Kolawole (IITA), Prof. Eniola Fabusoro & Ms. Titilayo Ayodeji (IDH), Prof. Lateef Sanni (Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute), Prof. Elli Leadbeater (UCL Centre for Biodiversity & Environmental Research), Alessandro Sanginario (PlantZCare / Politecnico di Torino), Dr. Ajay Beniwal (UCL / Dhirubhai Ambani University), Dr. Heather Whitney (University of Bristol), Zhijie Xu (UCL Photonic Innovations Lab), Dr. Kwaku Onwona-Hwesofour Asante (CSIR Crops Research Institute), Dr. Benjamin Addom (National Agricultural Data Infrastructure, and Dr Temitope Odedeyi (UCL).
Commenting on the workshop, Professor Izzat Darwazeh, PI and Director of UCL Institute of Communications and Connected Systems said,
“It was a great pleasure looking back on the work we have done with our international collaborators, across Africa and Europe without whom this project would not have been the great success it is. It was also great to look at other researchers work in the agriculture and associated technologies areas in UCL and elsewhere. I hope NESTLER’s success serves as the foundation of future work and wider collaborations to build sustainable food systems worldwide.
Dr Temitope Odedeyi, Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow, who also organised the workshop said,
“This workshop highlighted the transformative potential of integrated, systems-level solutions for agriculture. By combining sensing, connectivity and data analytics, we are strengthening the foundations for resilient food systems. Crucially, this work complements the strong innovation already underway across African agriculture, supporting context-aware, scalable solutions that enhance productivity, strengthen food security and enable locally led transformation.
The day concluded with closing remarks by Robert Crook, UK Research and Innovation, offering insights into the funding landscape for research in the agricultural sector.
The workshop served as a valuable tool for bringing together key players in the agrifood and technological sectors to devise strategies for solving future challenges in the agrifood sector. It not only celebrated the NESTLER project’s role in harnessing world-leading technological innovation but also reaffirmed UCL ICCS’ role at the forefront of advancing communications engineering.