The webinar "Healthy land, healthy city: Rural-urban solutions for land, climate, and equity", held on March 6, 2025 features diverse voices from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, united in rethinking land development for a more sustainable and equitable future that includes women and marginalized groups.
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As Andrea Meza, our keynote speaker of the UNCCD secretary described it: “Land is a central piece to achieve climate and biodiversity goals. It’s essential for guaranteeing food and water security, stability, and addressing migration and poverty.” At the core of healthy lands is the recognition that urban and rural areas are deeply interconnected, said Dr. Tina Beuchelt, ZEF Senior Scientist and INTERFACES project leader. Cities depend on rural regions for food and resources, while rural areas benefit from urban markets and infrastructure. Strengthening these links in a way that they become gender-transformative and socially inclusive supports sustainability, equity and food security.
For green entrepreneur Rokiatou Traore, founder of Herou Alliance from Mali, considering urban and rural challenges plays an important role in her agroforestry initiative. By producing moringa products, her company promotes nature-based solutions, empowers women and young people economically, and addresses malnutrition. Her mission underscores the importance of local economies that benefit both urban and rural communities.
Designing healthy urban spaces requires considering diverse needs. Dr. Tina Beuchelt highlighted that urban as well as rural planning need to be gender-inclusive — accounting for the specific needs of women and marginalized communities. Urban planner Md Moinul Islam added his perspectives on the argument for inclusive, participatory planning by stating the importance of involving those most affected by urban challenges. Based on his experience working in Narayanganj, a city near Dhaka, Bangladesh, he explained how voices from slum areas are integrated into decision-making.
The forum concluded with a powerful statement from David Jacome-Polit of ICLEI: “We need to transform systems that have structural flaws, rendering injustices which are in turn affecting excluded communities, particularly women.” Building rural-urban solutions requires multi-level collaboration from grassroots initiatives and cities to international platforms to create collective spaces that prioritize equity, sustainability, and well-being.