Radio Zokoto interviews Marina Arias, coordinator of the European FOOD FOREST project, about the initiative and its connection with Artajona. Watch the interview to hear directly from one of the people leading its development.
Marina Arias is a researcher in agronomy and biology at the University of the Basque Country (EHU). Her experience spans nature-based solutions, urban greening and soilless cultivation systems, alongside the coordination of European research and innovation projects.
Within FOOD FOREST, she coordinates the international project and its Spanish activities, including the creation of the community food forest in Artajona. She also contributes to the educational programme in Spain and leads the preparation of a funding proposal to scale up the initiative.
Her previous research includes work at Wageningen University and a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship at KeyGene, exploring the use of plant waste and alternative crops such as rubber-producing dandelions.
Through research, education and international cooperation, her work supports the development of more resilient food systems and closer connections between communities and their environment.
FOOD FOREST is a European initiative creating and testing Community Food Forests as living spaces for regenerative food production, ecological restoration, education and social innovation.Through pilot sites in Artajona and Tallinn, partners from across Europe work with local communities to develop knowledge and models that can be replicated and scaled.
Connecting Community Food Forests, projects and practitioners across Europe.
welcomes collaboration with institutions, researchers, practitioners, communities and organisations working on regenerative landscapes, food systems and community-led innovation.
Rotary Forests supports FOOD FOREST as a Strategic Benefactor, contributing economic, technical, creative and infrastructure resources to the project and its digital platform.
