Ana Belén Rodriguez
Location: Coín and other places in the Valle del Guadalhorce, Málaga
Products: Tangerines and oranges, lemons, avocado
Belén studied business and is interested in social movements, previously dedicating herself to encouraging cooperative development in rural areas. After some years of travelling she decided to return to Spain, feeling the need to learn everything she could related to working on the land from her father. After he died, she decided to carry on his legacy and continue running the family farm in Coín.
The farm forms an island of biodiversity, compared to the strong urbanisation of the local area. The soil is rich in organic matter and Belén has many projects to develop: biointensive beds for vegetables; green manure; a greenhouse. She is passionate about soil regeneration, poultry use and the coexistence of species that grow naturally together, such as hackberry and avocado.
Belén has a small yearly production of tangerine and oranges, avocadoes and some lemon trees. She has olive trees that grow without irrigation and is planning a new plantation of carob trees, some pomegranates and other citrus.