By Kim Tilghman
East Carolina University is helping lay the groundwork for a statewide agricultural transformation. As part of a coalition of North Carolina research institutions, the university is working to engage with farming communities across 42 counties through a proposed innovation corridor.
In a newly released report, the Climate-Responsive Opportunities in Plant Science (CROPS) project outlines a plan to connect farmers particularly those with small, mid-sized and specialty crop operations with cutting-edge technologies and researchers to boost productivity, sustainability and the regional economy.
The report, authored by RTI International, was developed through the CROPS project, a statewide partnership led by North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The initiative brings together a network of institutions, including ECU, Duke University, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative at NC State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, RTI International and Wake Forest University.
The coalition’s findings identify five key opportunities to strengthen the state’s agricultural technology (agtech) ecosystem:
- Accelerating the adoption of research-backed tools on farms
- Speeding up the development of useful innovations
- Using technology to access better markets
- Improving communication and coordination within the ag community
- Building a skilled workforce ready to support modern agriculture
Source : ecu.edu