We were lucky to catch up with MARIA PICAZO ROLDAN recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi MARIA, thanks for joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think the success of my career has been not being afraid to change things. The fact of seeing obstacles as opportunities to change or start over. At the age of seventeen I faced the first big change of my life, in a family of farmers and agricultural merchants, I decided to enter a new world, I began to study architecture. A tough career, with high workloads and very demanding. In six years of university career, I learned everything and nothing, and that is what architects are: a bit of an engineer, a bit of an artist, a bit of a plumber, a bit of a landscaper, a bit of an electrician, a bit of a carpenter, a bit of an urban planner… But above all, I learned to work as a team, to take a curious attitude towards life, to develop my creativity and to strengthen myself professionally, seeing each challenge as an opportunity and acquiring great problem-solving abilities.

MARIA, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started working as an architect in 2012, the next challenge was to start when Spain was in an economic crisis, with the construction sector hitting rock bottom. Despite this, I worked in an architecture studio for 6 years, Arquinur, a studio with a great multidisciplinary team. A team of which I have very good memories, we carried out great projects such as the Bodegas Alcardet, in my hometown, Villanueva de Alcardete. Over time, my family roots gained strength and it is that in this small town in Castilla La Mancha, the generational change is important to avoid depopulation. I felt the need to contribute to this society and decided to study a Master’s Degree in Agroengineering, specializing in irrigation and renewable energy at the University of Agronomists of Madrid. That Master’s degree led me to where I am today, working in agriculture. I left architecture in the background and despite not being my job now, I would study it over and over again. This has been part of my path and thanks to it, I learned to see the world in a different way.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

As I was saying, I returned to my hometown to work in agriculture and joined RIEGOS TDJ, a family business in which I am the third generation. I am lucky to learn every day from my father but also from a great multidisciplinary team with extensive experience. We work for farmers, we are specialized in the design and assembly of irrigation installations, solar irrigation, plantations, vineyard assembly… but we also work our own vineyard, almond, olive and pistachio crops. I believe that the success of this small company lies in the constant effort and commitment to sustainability, seeking long-term solutions and stability in the agricultural sector.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Farmers face the great challenge of producing more with less and that only happens through mechanization, technology, efficiency and sustainability. For this reason, our main objective is to serve all the needs of the farmer, saving costs, energy and water. We are leaders in drip irrigation installations. We were the first in the region to carry out buried drip installations, more than 25 years, maximizing efficiency in the use of water and energy. At the same time, the rise in the price of electricity and the need to increase the profitability of our crops has imposed the use of renewable energy. We carry out solar pumping installations giving a profitable, economical and very low-maintenance solution, guaranteeing the energy supply in a respectful and sustainable way.

We handle all efficient irrigation techniques: automation, monitoring, fertigation… We use intelligent irrigation systems, optimizing performance with the help of field sensors, georeferenced meteorology and satellite information. We interpret what happens in each crop by applying water and fertilizer only when the crop needs it, saving costs but also improving environmental sustainability.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.riegostdj.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riegos_tdj_sl/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063669667623
• Linkedin: https://es.linkedin.com/company/riegos-tdj
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@riegostdjslriegostdjsl2757?si=X61D5JA7OUjHKnYi