Mirene Begiristain Zubillaga

Mirene Begiristain Zubillaga is a woman from Andoain who has lived in Getaria for 20 years. She is the mother of two daughters and a feminist.

Upon concluding her studies in economics she worked in human rights whilst deepening her knowledge of international trade.

Since 1998 she has worked in the field of education and research within the Faculty of Business at the University of the Basque Country. She works with students on trade issues and has had the opportunity to carry out research-based development of the agriculture sector, for which she holds much respect and passion. She gained a doctorate in economics and looked into organic agriculture and its market from an agroecology viewpoint, with food sovereignty as the goal. She has been able to learn first-hand about the agriculture sector in the Basque Country, finding out about and participating in various local initiatives in that regard. This has had a direct effect on various research projects that she has carried out, particularly the research into food systems and market models. The experience has enabled her to take part in other training in farm schools, at the Basque Summer University, with the EHNE-Bizkaia farming union, and in the training course titled Del Caserío al Mundo (From the Village to the World) carried out by the Hegoa Institute.