Public health professional Moses Aharon Banda (Moshe) from Malawi joins the podcast to discuss his work tackling a severe and often neglected disease: snake bites. He explains that people in the global South who work in rural and agricultural areas which change as climate changes, are highly exposed to this risk. Banda shares his personal journey from mathematics to public health, and details his current project: working with doctors to establish a call center to provide crucial guidance for snake bite cases, highlighting the desperate need for local, community-based health solutions in drylands.

In the background you can hear happy voices from the conference lunch break.

Professor Nadav Davidovitch, a public health physician and epidemiologist, joins the podcast to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the dedicated Health Sessions at the DDD Conference, noting the high quality of international and local participation. He reviews sessions on climate change preparedness and infectious disease, and previews a "Food, Health, and Resilience" tour focused on addressing obesity in the Bedouin community and using teaching kitchens. Professor Davidovitch leaves one core lesson: achieving climate and desertification goals requires "Health in all policies"—a systemic implementation built on solidarity and trust across government, NGOs, and the community.

Nuria Levy, Course Director at Mashav, Israel's agency for international development, discusses the crucial link between climate, business, and gender. She explains how their course on empowering women through innovative agribusiness brings international professionals from emerging economies like Ghana, Cambodia, and Ukraine to the DDD Conference, underscoring the severe economic impact of drylands and desertification on women worldwide. Tune in to learn how international cooperation and development are fighting the climate crisis on the ground.

Merav Batat, Director of the Negev Urban Research Lab (NUR) , discusses the unique challenge of desert urbanism and mitigating extreme heat in cities like Beersheba. She reveals how the lab is using 3D scanning and digital twinning to create urban platforms that test scenarios—like turning a boulevard into a forest—to help decision-makers design more resilient streets and improve human comfort. Tune in to hear how this unique MIT-affiliated lab is adapting cities for climate change.