Redefining Climate Resilience: Water, Food Security, and Indigenous Knowledge

​Building true climate resilience requires an integrated approach that connects water security, public health, food systems, and indigenous knowledge. This session will explore how climate adaptation efforts can be strengthened by cross-sector collaboration, equitable financing, and community-led solutions. How does water security reduce disease burden and support long-term resilience? What role do indigenous perspectives and biocultural relationships play in reshaping climate adaptation and financing systems? How can rural women, particularly female smallholders in Africa, move from being beneficiaries to co-designers and decision-makers in food security and climate resilience initiatives?

Additionally, we’ll discuss how to effectively measure climate adaptation and resilience outcomes, ensuring that funding and systems design prioritize locally-driven, sustainable solutions. By bringing together diverse voices—from public health and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) to indigenous leaders and agricultural innovators—we will explore new frameworks for addressing climate challenges in a holistic and equitable way.

Key Questions:

• ​How can water security be leveraged to improve public health and climate resilience? 

• ​What role do indigenous knowledge systems and biocultural relationships play in designing climate adaptation strategies? 

• ​How can rural women and female smallholders be empowered as leaders in food security and climate resilience efforts? 

• ​What are the most effective ways to measure climate adaptation and resilience outcomes? 

• ​How can financing and funding models be redesigned to center equity, sustainability, and local leadership in climate adaptation?

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This discussion will provide a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, highlighting innovative approaches to building climate resilience that prioritize local expertise, equity, and long-term impact.

​Session Co-Leaders:

• ​Ludovic Claude – Founder & CEO of Aquaful, leveraging sustainable finance and innovation to provide safe, affordable water to urban communities in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• ​Coco Lim – Manager of Insights at Acumen, amplifying key learnings from the agriculture portfolio, with experience in economic development and international policy.