Aug 4, 2020
Get to know the amazing team at Agritecture! This interview features Yara Nagi, Director of Operations at Agritecture Consulting!
How did you first get involved with Agritecture?
I am currently located in New York City and have been with Agritecture for over 5 years. I was hired by Agritecture to help with one of our first clients, a program for students with developmental disabilities that wanted an educational manual that could be used to train the students on growing and selling the produce from the hydroponic system we built. I had experience in creating content for sustainability-centered workshops for educational institutions and schools, so that experience helped open the door for my position today.
As the Director of Operations, how has your position evolved?
The biggest change has come alongside the relatively large growth we see from year to year. With the increase of projects, offerings, and platforms comes new processes and structures for managing the processes, costs, and benefits of those offerings.
What prior experience did you bring with you to Agritecture?
I have a scientific background in water, waste, and food safety and have built upon that a background in sustainability management, with a focus on the business side of sustainability-centered projects. My most relevant experience is probably what I mentioned above, developing workshops and workshop manuals centered around waste, water, food, and energy management internationally.
What is one of your favorite projects?
My favorite project is probably the first project I worked on, Phillips Program. Since building that system and creating that manual, we have worked with this client again to consult them on the expansion of their growing facility. Seeing them take that small school farm and turn it into a business that is centered on hiring staff with behavioral health needs and developmental disabilities has been a great experience.
What part of controlled environment agriculture excites you the most?
I like being part of an industry that is constantly growing and expanding. For me personally, I get very inspired in developing models that can make these growing systems more accessible.
Where do you hope to see the industry in 5 years?
I hope to see a lot more farming models that incorporate multiple methods of growing that work together cohesively. I’m also excited to see further advancements around the types of crops that can be grown in a controlled environment.