The race to secure critical minerals has intensified at the same time as the international community has recognised the need for more sustainable and responsible mining practices. Translating the resulting frameworks and guidelines into concrete action will require consolidating Global South policy and advocacy networks.
If development programmes are serious about long-term change, they have to create real pathways towards paid, respected roles within the communities women already belong to.
From the Ifugao highlands to Morocco’s Anti-Atlas Mountains, Indigenous terrace farming illustrates how long-standing, locally adapted practices capture water, conserve soil and diversify crops to withstand intensifying climate extremes.