The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations provided teaching aids and hardware support to the Forest Department at the Forest Department headquarters in Nay Pyi Taw.

“To make agriculture and forestry more productive and sustainable, a holistic approach with actions to conserve, protect, and enhance natural resources is crucial. Developing forestry staff and private sector capacities forms part of our strategy to promote the adoption of more integrated, sustainable, and resilient production systems,” said Xiaojie Fan, the FAO Representative in Myanmar.

The teaching aids and hardware equipment for the Forestry Department will help deliver training to students and rangers at Myanmar Forest School, including to forestry staff at the Central Forestry Development Training Center (Hmaw-bi). This provision of supplies forms part of FAO’s comprehensive efforts, which include the ongoing development of a diploma-level course on ecosystem-based sustainable forest management to implement at the Myanmar Forest School in collaboration with the University of Forestry and Environmental Science.

The supplies and equipment relate to Forest Inventory in the field, and students learning experience will be enhanced with improved training room facilities and library.

The FAO and UFES are on track to launch the curriculum's pilot phase later this year at the Myanmar Forest School. To date, an assessment has been completed to identify required curriculum upgrades and revisions that align with international best practices on sustainable forest management. In addition, the FAO and UFES have approved an editorial board of five members who will provide technical oversight and editing of the curriculum.

“Capacity development is a priority for the Forestry Department. Training and education interventions play a significant role in supporting the implementation of the sustainable management of forest resources in the country” said Dr. Nyi Nyi Kyaw, Director General with the Forest Department.

The supplies and equipment were provided within the “Sustainable cropland and forest management in priority-ecosystems of Myanmar” project funded by the Global Environment Facility. The project aims to build farming and forestry stakeholders’ capacity to mitigate climate change and to improve land condition by adopting climate-smart agricultural practices and sustainable forest management policies and practices.