# Village gossip, pesticide bans, and gene drives: 17 experts on the future of global health

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/80-000-hours-podcast-747608/village-gossip-pesticide-bans-and-gene-drives-17-experts-on-the-future-of-global-health
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/80-000-hours-podcast-747608/village-gossip-pesticide-bans-and-gene-drives-17-experts-on-the-future-of-global-health.md
Podcast: [80,000 Hours Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/80-000-hours-podcast-747608)
Published: 2026-04-07T14:50:06+00:00
Episode link: https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/global-health-development-compilation/?utm_campaign=podcast__ghd-compilation&utm_source=80000+Hours+Podcast&utm_medium=podcast
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/b0e07322/2180d3b2.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/80-000-hours-podcast-747608/episodes/village-gossip-pesticide-bans-and-gene-drives-17-experts-on-the-future-of-global-health
Duration seconds: 14810

## Resource

What does it really take to lift millions out of poverty and prevent needless deaths? In this special compilation episode, 17 past guests — including economists, nonprofit founders, and policy advisors — share their most powerful and actionable insights from the front lines of global health and development. You’ll hear about the critical need to boost agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa, the staggering impact of lead poisoning on children in low-income countries, and the social forces that contribute to high neonatal mortality rates in India. What’s so striking is how some of the most effective interventions sound almost too simple to work: banning certain pesticides, replacing thatch roofs, or identifying village “influencers” to spread health information. Full transcript and links to learn more: https://80k.info/ghd Chapters: Cold open (00:00:00) Luisa’s intro (00:00:58) Development consultant Karen Levy on why pushing for “sustainable” programmes isn’t as good as it sounds (00:02:15) Economist Dean Spears on the social forces and gender inequality that contribute to neonatal mortality in Uttar Pradesh (00:06:55) Charity founder Sarah Eustis-Guthrie on what we can learn from the massive failure of PlayPumps (00:14:33) Economist Rachel Glennerster on how randomised controlled trials are just one way to better understand tricky development problems (00:19:05) Data scientist Hannah Ritchie on why improving agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa is critical to solving global poverty (00:24:36) Charity founder Lucia Coulter on the huge, neglected upsides of reducing lead exposure (00:47:48) Malaria expert James Tibenderana on using gene drives to wipe out the species of mosquitoes that cause malaria (00:53:11) Charity founder Varsha Venugopal on using…

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## Transcript

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