An effective adaptation policy will increase resiliency in sectors, as they often overlap and coincide. For example, resiliency in food security must entail promoting farmer access to agricultural technologies, providing training on how to reduce soil erosion, building embankment infrastructure, and ensuring community involvement in all projects. RAN-API covers the broader and overlapping categories of economic, social and livelihood, ecosystem, and special area resilience. It then breaks these categories into the types of resiliency programs and strategies. RAN-API also lays out coordination among different ministries and with local/regional governments. Working at the regional and village level is key in Indonesia’s decentralizing democracy. RAN-API also develops a vulnerability indication and evaluation system to determine what adaptation activity is necessary in each area. RAN-API is a strong adaptation policy.

Although RAN-API meets the criteria of a good adaptation policy, coordination between agencies and with sub-national jurisdictions is poor. Urban planners from seven Indonesian cities were interviewed in a report by ACCCRN (Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network). These planners want to see greater climate change awareness at the local level, better coordination between the public and private sector, greater capacity development at the local level (including institutional capacity, workshops and adequate training), financing to vulnerable and developing communities, technology and information provision to fishermen and to other livelihoods affected by climate change, and community participation in adaptation development through Musrenbang – a participatory public forum. Indonesia is standing still on climate change adaptation. Until the national government, particularly Bappenas, works more with local governments and increases financing to adaptation projects, its ambitious national adaptation policy will continue to be all bark and no bite.