Natalia Falagán: Rurban Researcher and Agricultural Engineer
Who are you?
I am Natalia, an agricultural engineer from Spain and member of the Rurban Revolution team. I love travelling, hot chocolate and sunny days.
What does rurbanisation mean to you?
Urban food production has been providing us with fresh produce and protecting green spaces in our cities for centuries. However, consumers are disconnected from their food supply, sometimes not knowing where fresh produce comes from and the amount of effort and resources involved in its production. Rurbanisation is bringing the rural environment to cities to expose consumers to green areas; involve the consumer in food production; reduce the carbon footprint of food transportation from conventional farming; and reduce the burden of intensive systems on our rural soils.
What five big challenges does urban food production face from your perspective?
- Lack of suitable land/space for urban agriculture in cities.
- Soils might be contaminated in urban agriculture; minimising risks is a challenge.
- Urban growers are generally not very experienced in labour and management of crops.
- Energy and infrastructure costs can be high.
- Currently people are interested in urban agriculture. It is important not to lose momentum and guarantee long-term sustainability.
What motivates you?
I am driven by curiosity. I always want to understand how systems work, especially living structures. This is why I pursued a career in research, to give me the tools to seek the answers.