Rural Farmers Left Behind In High-Tech Revolution

But that image is quickly changing to one of rapidly growing businesses, low unemployment and big money associated with high-tech industries.

North Carolina is no longer solely characterized by its once endless tobacco fields, hog farms and reliance on agriculture. It is becoming a mecca for the technologically savvy.

Hundreds of high-tech industries have moved into the state, leaving in their wake agricultural sectors that are struggling to survive and dividing the state along economic lines.

The New Economy

Marchela Roca, spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Commerce, said the growing technological sector has opened up "a great deal of opportunities in our state to become competitive."

The new economy has been influenced greatly by N.C. universities, which have enticed recent graduates to begin their career paths in Research Triangle Park -- one of the country's pre-eminent technological centers.

John Lucy, spokesman for Triangle-area IBM, said the "continual flow" of the state's university graduates provides a large work force for high-tech companies and contributes to the state's low unemployment rate.

Lucy also attributed the success of the technology industry to the "great partnership fostered by the relationships between the universities, the government and the community."

IBM first moved to Research Triangle Park in the mid-1960s and now has more than 50 buildings and employs more than 15,000 people in the Triangle, making it the largest IBM hub in the world. The impact of the new industries was evident a decade ago when, at the urging of IBM executives, Interstate 40 was routed to run through RTP.

"The advent of a good transportation network was necessary," Lucy said. "IBM suggested extending (I-40) through the park to develop its maximum potential."

Other companies and industries have followed suit and made North Carolina home, contributing to the birth and expansion of new urban centers. The influx of these businesses has come about because the state sensed a need to remain competitive -- nationally and worldwide -- as the global economy made a dramatic shift toward modern technology, Roca said.

Struggling to Survive

In the midst of North Carolina's economic boom, the agricultural foundation that once supported the state's economy is being obscured by the shadow of a new technological revolution.

Chris Beacham, research director for the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center, said the growth of RTP has put a strain on some rural communities. "Half of North Carolinians are not participating in the development of the state," he said.

Beacham said many students from rural communities go on to study at universities and do not return home, resulting in a loss of potential resources for rural areas.

Jim Knight, spokesman for the N.C. Department of Agriculture, said it has become virtually impossible for someone to enter the agricultural field.

Knight said farmland prices have soared as new industries and corporations, needing more land as their businesses grow, have extended their reach into rural areas of the state, making it nearly impossible for individuals to purchase farmland. "Farming is not a viable economic profession," he said. "(Companies) dangle huge sums of money in front of farmers and pay five, 10, 20 times what farmlands are worth."

Creating a Balance

Despite the current economic success of technological advances, many North Carolinians still live in poverty. The state has struggled to provide adequate health care and access to education.

Beacham said there are no easy solutions for bridging the economic divide and noted a need to look beyond "just money" for answers.

He said the state is working to attract businesses to rural areas and added that the educational system will have to be improved to make this a reality.

In the last several years, legislative leaders have unveiled several proposals to attract more teachers to the state, including a plan approved last summer by the General Assembly to increase teacher pay statewide.

Some rural areas have managed to profit from the new economy because of close business relationships with urban cities. "Income generated in RTP brings back money to rural communities," Beacham said.

But many rural towns, especially those built around tobacco and other crops, are striving to find a place in the new economy. Even family-owned hog farms that used to dot the eastern half of the state have been swallowed up by large corporations. "Some communities have been hit hard," Roca said.

Promising Prosperity

Today it is unclear how many North Carolina residents will adjust to the ever-changing economy, but Gov. Mike Easley vowed in his inaugural address to bring economic prosperity to all corners of the state.

"Many communities have strong and robust economies, while others languish," Easley said. "North Carolina values require that we all work together to spread our success -- not by taking wealth from any region, but by creating opportunities and expertise in every region until we include every family in every county in North Carolina."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.