Bridging the Gap Between Researchers & Farmers: The Feasibility of an AgTech Corridor in North Carolina

North Carolina is home to a unique agricultural landscape where more than 80 crops are grown commercially. Over half of the state’s 40,000 farms are family-owned. These farms produce the food for our plates, cotton for our clothing, and even Christmas trees for our holiday celebrations. With the increasing number of young producers or "digital natives" entering farming, adapting agriculture technology (agtech) is crucial.

As a state, NC is uniquely positioned to lead in agtech development and adoption. But the two engines most involved—agriculture and innovation—sometimes operate in silos. For example, innovation hubs, which are centered in NC’s more urban areas are not always well connected to the agriculture production hubs spread across the state.

As rural farmers continue to face unpredictable weather and more extreme events like droughts and flooding, tight margins, and labor shortages, a statewide bridge making agtech solutions accessible to the people they’re designed to help is crucial. How could we create a more direct path between technology and farmers and fields, regardless of where they are in relation to our state’s largest cities?

What is Agricultural Technology or AgTech?

Agriculture technology, or AgTech, applies the use of technology—especially software, machine learning, and data—to optimize agricultural production and help farmers adapt to variables like weather. Technologies in this space tend to focus on increasing productivity, improving efficiency, supporting sustainability, and driving farm-level returns. In NC, agtech innovators are advancing crop genome editing, identifying ways to be more environmentally conscious and participate in carbon markets, and mainstreaming artificial intelligence in innovations.

The Case for a Regional AgTech Innovation Corridor

The Climate Response Opportunities for Plant Science (CROPS) initiative, funded by a National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines planning grant, envisions a 42-county AgTech Innovation Corridor that enables sharing information and technology faster and more broadly across North Carolina. The vision of the CROPS initiative is to better connect under-resourced and small acreage farmers with research and technological innovations needed to overcome market entry barriers and adapt to environmental factors. CROPS also aims to highlight existing agtech career pathways and expand opportunities for agtech employment across the state. 

As part of the project, RTI International completed a place-based analysis to identify assets and opportunities for building the regional Agtech Corridor.  We were able to assess the feasibility of realizing the connection between rural farms and the latest technology. With direct feedback from agricultural leaders, universities, private sector partners, and scientists, the potential for a 42-county agtech corridor is beginning to take shape and benefits could include:

• Empowering small farms to access proven and emerging technologies needed to adapt and prosper amid variable weather and market conditions.
• Accelerating commercialization of university research into real-world tools that farmers can use.
• Positioning agtech to help farmers access new market opportunities.
• Integrating resources and networks across the corridor.
• Building a job-ready workforce equipped to drive the agtech economy.

Bringing the corridor to life will require state-level coordination, but luckily we don’t need to reinvent the wheel — we just need to connect it. Potential considerations include:

1. A statewide agtech innovation coordination effort to align funding, workforce training, and research translation.
2. Public-private partnerships between startups, research universities, farmers, and extension agents.
3. Regional innovation networks like CROPS, supported with visibility and investment.
4. Centering farmers in state-wide agtech innovation efforts, so that small-acreage farmers are fully included in the agtech future.

The Thriving Future of North Carolina's Agriculture

As discussed, North Carolina is already home to universities, businesses, and state agencies with a history of success in partnering to unlock new markets, strengthen innovation ecosystems, and power economic growth.

This same bright and thriving future for the agtech space is within reach — but it will take a coordinated effort to bring such a regional corridor from concept to reality.

Let’s build a bridge between researchers and farmers, putting those in the fields at the forefront, to capitalize on momentum from complementary agriculture and agtech planning already happening across the state.

Access the full report, Assets and Opportunities to Advance North Carolina’s Agtech Innovation Corridor, to learn more about extending the benefits of an innovation economy and building economic momentum in rural areas.

CROPS Partners & Participants

RTI would like to extend our thanks to our affiliated CROPS Partners, including North Carolina A&T State University, Duke University, East Carolina University, the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative at NC State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University, Alamance Community College, the NC Biotechnology Center, and the NC Community College System, along with specialists from NC Cooperative Extension.