It is more efficient to manage natural resources with modern technologies and the knowledge of how to use them. FAO in Bangladesh strengthens its government partners in the use of computer technology in the activities where it is needed most.  The Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) have both recently received substantial training and support in the areas of data management, analysis, and processing, and the use of software and hardware.
There is ongoing training in the BFD for the use of Open Foris tools and programming in R language for digital data management and processing. These tools streamline the process of managing forest inventory data. The BFD is now trained in how to collect data in the field using tablets and then check and clean the data with R scripts. Forest officials also know how to use R scripts to do analyses and make summary statistics. The impacts of these tools and training is that data delivery is transparent, the data are efficiently updated, and results are easily interpreted.
Other trainings have helped improve computer skills in order to meet work demands. The BFD requested FAO to provide trainings to improve forest managers’ ability to write reports, give presentations, use spreadsheets as well as basic trouble shooting skills for laptops and desktops. The three-day training was held in both Chittagong and Dhaka February to March 2018. Participant feedback revealed that the training was much appreciated as many benefitted from this type of computer training in an office setting.
“By capturing the various sources of information related to forest management on a computer‐based information system and by strengthening the government capacities in using modern technologies, forest management and conservation becomes more efficient” said Md Saedur Rahman, database management consultant at FAO Bangladesh.
In another example, FAO supported MoEFCC through the establishment and maintenance of a server which is needed for data management within the ministry. As issues with the server arise, troubleshooting and basic maintenance skills are being transferred when FAO is consulted about how to solve them. Though these capacities are often developed behind the scenes and underappreciated, they significantly aid the ministry in delivering digital information to key users.
As Kristofer Johnson, forestry expert, pointed out “a small investment of time and effort to train others with computer skills goes a long way towards making everyone’s job easier”.
These and future FAO trainings that strengthen technological skills contribute to a “digital” Bangladesh and capacity to more efficiently manage its natural resources.