Cross-pollination is a long-held tradition in agriculture. It takes the best qualities of one entity and combines it with others to come up with something new and improved.
Organizers of a strategic alliance for Visioneering Wichita are using this same technique to find innovative concepts in agribusiness close to home. Known as "ag-technology," this 21st-century approach takes the best of agriculture and technology to find efficient and effective solutions to today's problems.
This new sector provides the basis for the Agri-Business Innovations Strategic Alliance. It is part of the Economic Development Foundation, whose vision is that this region will be a leading community for retaining and expanding current businesses and creating and recruiting new businesses.
Members of the AgriBusiness Council of Wichita, along with Vision Partners: Wichita State University, the Old Town Farmers' Market and the Kansas World Trade Center are developing strategies that will further position south-central Kansas as a leader in ag-technology.
Leaders of this strategic alliance believe that a future that includes planning for a global economy will bring additional businesses and business revenue into the region and will stem the local "brain drain." The net result will be an aggressive and impressive collection of businesses that build on the agriculture and entrepreneurial heritage of the region.
