Global efforts to combat climate change, conserve natural resources, and promote sustainable development require large-scale, multi-organizational projects. We present a conceptual framework for designing, planning, and executing such long-term projects using lessons learned from a crop residue management project in India, which involves 29,000 farmers across 172 villages covering 160,000 acres of farmland. The concepts of social learning, adaptive management, and flexible governance structure are incorporated into our framework by drawing on the literature in ecological and social sciences. The findings from our case study demonstrate how the proposed framework and structure facilitate social learning at multiple levels, ultimately leading to successful adoption of eco-friendly practices. Our quantitative analysis makes use of data collected from more than 4000 farmers over a period of three years using both multivariate and regression analyses. It is gratifying to note from our findings that despite the increased cost, farmers exposed to ecofriendly methods through social learning mechanisms adopt them readily, and that in the long run eco-friendly practices also contribute to economic and social sustainability. Our study emphasizes the importance of stronger policy intervention and industry participation in order to ensure the success of large-scale sustainability and climate change projects.