The City of Independence is linking technology companies and startup culture to rural Oregon through smart agriculture and STEM education.

The City has worked with Intel, Verizon, and the Technology Association of Oregon to host smart Ag meetups, link tech companies with farmers for pilot projects, and build an ecosystem of entrepreneurship around smart Ag. Looking to the future, the City has partnered with Innovate Oregon to bring Agile Learning to Independence’s schools, and is working with Chemeketa Community College and IBM to create dual-credit courses to train the next generation of tech workers and innovators.

The City is now using its strong connections with the tech and Ag sectors as well as nearby universities and community colleges to explore creation of an incubator and maker space devoted development of agricultural technologies.