Key Takeaways:
- Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) helps secure multiple state grants supporting AgTech innovation and workforce programs
- Funding awarded under California’s $80 million Jobs First Initiative to strengthen regional economic mobility
- Projects include the Farm Robotics Challenge, drone education through UC Santa Cruz, and expanded AgTEC certificates at Hartnell College
- MBEP’s efforts align with state blueprints for clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and agricultural modernization
Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) Leads Regional AgTech Collaboration
Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP), a regional economic development organization, is helping advance agricultural technology and workforce initiatives across California’s Central Coast as part of the California Jobs First Initiative. The state program, backed by the Governor’s Office, awarded $80 million in statewide funding to support economic resilience and innovation.
MBEP, a co-founder of Monterey Bay Tech Hub and Uplift Central Coast, played a key role in coordinating and facilitating grant awards that strengthen AgTech innovation, workforce development, and regional investment planning. These efforts are part of a larger state blueprint promoting clean-energy jobs, sustainable agriculture, and economic mobility across the Central Coast.
AgTech-Focused Grants Support Innovation and Job Creation
Among the grants MBEP helped secure:
• Funding for the Farm Robotics Challenge, a competition that engages students in solving real-world agricultural challenges using artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics. The program’s expansion to secondary schools will create new pathways to higher education and AgTech careers.
• A $2.21 million Jobs First grant for the Monterey Bay Tech Hub and UC Santa Cruz to launch the Drones Uplifting California Communities (DUCC) initiative. Through the CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education and Research, DUCC will train educators to prepare future drone pilots and entrepreneurs. The program aims to reach more than 2,000 students over two years, building a skilled workforce for precision agriculture, logistics, and environmental monitoring.
• A third grant, awarded to Hartnell College as part of the F3 (Farms Food Future) Initiative, will expand AgTEC certificate programs at three community colleges across the state.
According to UC Santa Cruz’s CIDER program, licensed drone pilots earn around $45 per hour, with the drone sector projected to become a $50 billion industry by 2030, underscoring the need for qualified talent in emerging agricultural and infrastructure applications.
MBEP’s Broader Vision for Central Coast Economic Growth
The region, known as the “Salad Bowl of the World,” continues to face challenges from climate change, labor shortages, and global competition. MBEP’s initiatives aim to modernize the agricultural sector through technology, ensuring local farms remain competitive while advancing California’s clean-energy and sustainability goals.
“By strengthening the partnerships between universities, farms, and agricultural businesses on the Central Coast, this funding will accelerate the transition of innovative research into practical, scalable technologies,” said MBEP President and CEO Tahra Goraya. “These investments will move one of the region’s most significant industries into the future while ensuring economic resilience for our communities.”
MBEP’s efforts align with state-approved initiatives such as the Central Coast Precision Manufacturing Activation Plan, Advanced Air Mobility Activation Plan, and the Uplift Central Coast Economic Blueprint—all of which identify AgTech as a strategic growth sector for the next decade.
