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The main objective of the Adaptation Learning Highway (ALH) was to facilitate a horizontal and vertical
information and knowledge flow among communities and between communities, scientists and technical persons as
well as the local administration to engage in policy and local adaptation strategy formulations as well as to
ensure a process to stimulate a more responsive local governance mechanism for managing change and enhancing
climate change adaptation (CCA).
The ALH was implemented in Nepal and India. The process has been highly appreciated by all stakeholders as
the interactive forums - the community to community (C2C) exchange, the community-scientist interface as
well as the policy makers and community interaction forum - provided opportunities for communities to voice
their efforts in managing change as well as their concerns for support from local governments could be voiced
and discussed with relevant authorities. The Community-Scientists' Interface (CSI) offered
scientists a 'first hand' experience on ground realities and community abilities (and concerns) and
the Policy Interaction Forum (PIF) provided the decision makers a rare opportunity to get a diverse view of
grassroot needs and hence helped to make more effective decisions for action.
ALH findings have been utilized pro-actively for shaping the State Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation
for at least one state in India.
The ALH process has been adopted by the Government of Meghalaya, India as an approach to develop the micro
plans for the Integrated Basin Development Programme - a flagship programme of the Government of Meghalaya.
We hope that the ALH will be mainstreamed as a process for annual planning by all IFAD project partners as
well as by the respective governments, particularly in formulation/fine-tuning their respective CCA plans.
This approach can be highly instrumental in bringing about a larger degree of synergy between community
aspirations and local/national/regional resource management, adaptation and mitigation objectives and also by
stimulating greater consultation and participation in strategy/plan formulations.
Funding needs are minimal and basically are required for mobilising stakeholder’s participation in the
forums (travel, food, and venue) and may involve expenses for documentation.
A fundamental element of the ALH process is community engagement in the planning/policy formulation process -
the C2C forums are primary to this objective followed by the additional foras in the ALH. The ALH not only
brings out concerns in regard to climate change adaptation, it has proved to highlight livelihood issues
which are central to poverty alleviation.
The ALH process has been adopted by the Government of Meghalaya, India as an approach to develop the
microplans for the Integrated Basin Development Programme - a flagship programme of the Government of
Meghalaya.
We hope that the ALH will be mainstreamed as a process for annual planning by all IFAD project partners as
well as by the respective governments, particularly in formulation/fine-tuning their respective CCA Plans.
This approach can be highly instrumental in bringing about a larger degree of synergy between community
aspirations and local/national/regional resource management, adaptation and mitigation objectives and also by
stimulating greater consultation and participation in strategy/plan formulations.
Funding needs are minimal and basically are required for mobilising stakeholders participation in the forums
(travel, food, venue) and may involve expenses for documentation.
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