Breaking Down Silos: How the Farm Robotics Challenge Bridges Disciplines to Solve Real Agricultural Problems

by Marie Vasari | Aug 26, 2026 | Agriculture, Economic & Workforce Development, MBEP News, Tech & Innovation

Across the agricultural heartlands of California, a quiet transformation is underway—one that is dismantling long-standing educational and industrial silos. Led by UC ANR Innovate, the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS), and coordinated regionally by...

Monterey Herald Economy Matters: What happens to our fields happens to us all

by Tahra Goraya | Aug 5, 2026 | Agriculture, Economy Matters, MBEP News

Drive through the Salinas Valley in almost any season and you’ll see it: mile after mile of lettuce, strawberries, and broccoli, tended by crews working before sunrise to keep the nation’s produce aisles stocked. It’s easy to take for granted. It...

Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) Helps Secure Millions in Funding to Boost AgTech Innovation and Workforce Development 

by Marie Vasari | Sep 24, 2025 | Agriculture, Tech & Innovation

State Investments Will Accelerate a Rapidly Expanding Sector That Will Create Good-Paying Jobs and Drive Economic Growth Across the Monterey Bay Region Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) is helping to support agriculture technology (AgTech) innovation and...

Op-Ed: Food Security is Critical to Economic and National Security on California’s Central Coast

by Tahra Goraya | Jul 1, 2025 | Agriculture, Economic & Workforce Development

‍(July 1, 2025 — Marina, CA) — The agricultural stretch of California’s Central Coast along the Salinas Valley is often called the “Salad Bowl of the World,” and for good reason. It supplies over 60% of the nation’s lettuce and substantial portions of strawberries,...