The surprising potential of rural economies

Nicky McLeod

We are often overwhelmed by wicked problems: complex challenges, with lots of moving parts, and deep abysses that are often so staggering that we don’t know how to take the first step to tackle them. Take rural Matatiele, an achingly beautiful corner of the Eastern Cape, in South Africa. In this talk, Nicky McLeod shares the uplifting story of how a little band of problem solvers in that part of the world overcame a complex set of social, environmental, and economic problems.

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Nicky McLeod is an environmental evangelist, and co-director of a small social enterprise, Environmental & Rural Solutions (ERS) based in the Matatiele mountains in the northern Eastern Cape. She has 25 years of hands-on experience working in rural areas with various livelihood and landscape-focused development initiatives, including water and livelihood security, soil conservation, ecotourism, alien plant control, water supply and sanitation, and environmental impact assessment. Nicky recently received, together with her long-time ERS partner Mme Sissie Matela, the WWF 2019 Living Planet Award for helping people to live in harmony with nature.