For Rolando Orellana, water isn’t just a resource — it’s a shared lifeline connecting people, landscapes and communities.
As an urban water management agent through the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension at the Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture on the UGA Griffin Campus, he’s helping people across the state make the most of it.
“We’re going into an era where water is going to be a precious resource that we need to manage,” he said. “It’s very important for our economy, and it’s important for our life.”
Orellana grew up on a coffee farm in the mountains of Honduras — more than 1,400 meters above sea level — with an understanding of and appreciation for agriculture. He came to UGA in 2010 as a landscape safety trainer, traveling around the state training agents and companies. Eventually, he landed in UGAExtension roles in Fulton and Cobb counties for a few years before returning to work with the Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture in his current position.
His role centers on studying and educating others about efficient and sustainable water use. Orellana counts the South lucky for not having the same drought issues as other areas, with 50 to 60 inches of rain each year compared to regions getting 15 inches or less.
“We are so blessed that we have water, but we also need to manage it,” he said.
That balance is important in agriculture, according to Orellana. Too much water can lead to issues with pathogens and diseases. Too little water won’t sustain what’s growing.
“You have to find that perfect balance, and I think that’s why urban water management matters,” he said.
Specifically, urban water management includes the study of emerging irrigation technologies that help strike the right balance. Two particular areas are the automation of systems and weather-based controllers. The technology has been around, Orellana noted, but the challenge now is getting people to adopt it.
“I think the biggest roadblock is education,” he said. “Right now, there’s either not enough information or there is too much information.”
That’s where Orellana comes in. His role centers on educating landscapers and other industry professionals so that they can take that information back to their clients and build efficient and sustainable solutions.
Orellana does that in a few different ways. For example, he holds trainings on various aspects of irrigation and water management that help green industry workers and small farmers in urban areas. He also helped spearhead efforts to translate training materials through the Spanish Professional Extension Committee.
The Griffin Campus hosts two irrigation and stormwater demonstration sites that provide opportunities for education and research. The idea started with a conversation at a field day with industry member about ideas for educational programs. Orellana met someone who works for Hunter Industry, which already collaborated with and sponsored a similar demonstration site in North Carolina. Orellana visited that site and considered ways he could adapt that idea to the center’s use. He found partners in the Georgia green industry to contribute expertise, parts, funding and labor, and now plots across both sites are used for research and to showcase new technologies and irrigation training for industry, Extension agents and Master Gardeners, as well as Georgia farmers and citizens.
“Being an educator is difficult and is also very rewarding,” Orellana said. “What matters most to me is helping others succeed. When landscapers and growers can apply what we share to improve their work, that’s when I feel we’ve truly made a difference.”
Outside of work, Orellana enjoys sports — playing soccer and competitive swimming, in particular. He also enjoys staying informed and keeping up with news and is considering a Ph.D. in the future. But for now, he draws energy from the work he does every day.
“A lot of the projects I work on are targeted to helping people, and that’s how I see my purpose, particularly in this position,” he said. “I genuinely get very excited when people achieve their goals.”
Orellana says he’s grateful to be part of an organization that encourages innovation and collaboration.
“Every project teaches me something new, and I look forward to continuing to learn and help more people in our communities,” he said.