Azahara Mesa Jurado

Azahara holds a PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Córdoba (Spain) and has been a researcher at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (Villahermosa Unit) since 2011. She is co-leader of the Transdisciplinary Laboratory for Sustainability (LATSU).

Her research focuses on the study of human–nature interactions, exploring how the different relationships established between society and the natural environment translate into diverse perceptions, emotions, values, forms of expression, and uses that underpin the decisions we make every day. Through the study of various socio-ecological systems and their interdependent relationships, as well as a plural values approach, we can better understand and guide the design of public policies that impact territories, enabling more appropriate management and more plural, inclusive, sustainable, and just governance. Her research incorporates participatory tools based on arts such as forum theatre and participatory video. She is a member of the council of the International Association for Society and Natural Resources, associated with the academic group WEARE (Water, Environmental and Agricultural Resources Economics) at the University of Córdoba (Spain), and serves on the editorial boards of the Spanish Journal of Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics and the scientific outreach magazine Ecofronteras.

In the Cocina Colaboratorio project, she participates by supervising theses and advising on topics related to values, perceptions, and forms of interrelation with nature and agrifood systems, socio-ecological resilience, transdisciplinary processes, participatory methodologies, and tools that foster critical dialogue on environmental governance. She is part of the Loma Bonita (Chiapas) team.