Greater St. Louis, Inc. welcomed agtech leaders from around the world this week, when the ARISE initiative — AgriTech for Resilience, Innovation & Sustainable Ecosystems — kicked off a five-day regional tour in Downtown St. Louis.
The ARISE delegation includes more than 20 global agtech leaders representing seven countries, including the U.S., U.K., Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Mexico. Its members aim to connect science, technology, and investment ecosystems from around the world to foster long-term international cooperation and accelerated agtech solutions.
The delegation, in St. Louis Feb. 2 – 6, was welcomed by dozens of regional leaders and organizations, including St. Louis City Mayor Cara Spencer, St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page, The Yield Lab Institute, the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, World Trade Center St. Louis, GSL, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 39 North, BioSTL, Washington University, Bayer and more.
“ARISE is the natural evolution of a vision our region has been building for years: that St. Louis can serve as a global bridge for agtech innovation across the Americas and beyond,” said Stephanie Regagnon, Executive Director of the Yield Lab Institute, which serves as the strategic U.S. partner coordinating the St. Louis segment of the global ARISE engagement. ARISE builds on the momentum of the St. Louis region’s Cultivar initiative and the World Trade Center St. Louis’s longstanding work, beginning with two agtech focused trade missions to Argentina in 2017 and the United Kingdom in 2019.
The Bottom Line
Cultivating the growth and expansion of an industry sector is a marathon endeavor, one that requires long-term strategic planning, dedicated investment, and public-private partnership and collaboration. ARISE illustrates what can result when those things come together and serves as a model for other sectors and opportunities in St. Louis.
“ARISE is a direct result of the work of many to connect our region to global markets and innovation ecosystems,” said Tim Nowak, Executive Director, World Trade Center St. Louis. “By linking St. Louis with partners across the UK and Latin America, we’re extending that global engagement to accelerate agtech solutions with real impact.”
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