USPCAS-W Hosts Stakeholder Workshop on Community-Led Climate Adaptation
The U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W) at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology organised an impactful Stakeholder Workshop titled “Community-led and Stakeholder-Engaged Adaptation Processes for Southern Pakistan” under the CoSEAL Project, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). Led by Dr Sandra Heaney-Mustafa, Prof. Dr Bakhshal Lashari, Professor Emeritus, MUET, Prof. Hemant Ojha, Prof. Siri Eriksen, and Dr Thanesh Bhusal, with Dr Munawar Raza (ACIAR Country Head) in attendance, the workshop empowered community leaders, especially farmers, to tackle climate change and promote adaptive livelihoods.
The workshop brought together Farmers, GoS departments, Universities, NGOs, and CSOs to discuss the CoSEAL/SERL methodology and its connection to the CALS project, identifying assets and capacities for climate-adaptive livelihoods and securing long-term project commitments. New team members were trained in CoSEAL to support NGOs, government staff, and community members, including women, men, and youth, to become Farmer-to-Farmer Facilitators (F2FF).
The workshop included visits to selected villages to discuss the SRA, assess community assets, and encourage cooperation for sustainable livelihoods and F2FF roles. Additionally, a multi-stakeholder forum raised awareness of the SRA and CALS projects, fostered institutional collaboration, informed the public through media exposure, and refined project plans with monitoring, evaluation, and communication strategies.
Attended by Sindh Government officials, NGOs/CSOs, and university faculties, the workshop advanced climate resilience through collaboration and innovation.
