Food system dashboard launched to facilitate data accessibility
The Ministry of Food has launched the Bangladesh Food System Dashboard (BDFSD) to provide easy access to all food and nutrition security information for policymaking and research.
The dashboard digitally presents data on food grain production, stocks, imports, domestic and international price analysis, malnutrition rates, obesity, and non-communicable diseases.
The dashboard was inaugurated at an event organised by the ministry's Food Planning and Monitoring Unit with the support of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) in Dhaka today (12 May).
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The Bangladesh Food System Dashboard is being managed under the direction of the Ministry of Food and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
A tripartite memorandum of understanding has been signed between BBS, Food Planning and Monitoring Unit and GAIN to verify the accuracy of the information. This dashboard will be used as a suitable tool to monitor progress in achieving food and nutrition security in Bangladesh and to achieve the SDG targets related to food and nutrition.
Food Secretary Md Ismiel Hossain at the inauguration event said that the purpose of the dashboard is to digitise and maintain all information related to food and nutrition security in Bangladesh, to ensure access to information for all.
"The dashboard contains various information on food availability and nutrition which will facilitate rapid policy formulation and research activities," he said.
At the event, Rudaba Khondker, country director of Gain Bangladesh, said data is important to making policy and decisions in various areas of food management.
The dashboard is one of the most effective tools for demonstrating Bangladesh's progress towards transforming into a sustainable, equitable and resilient food system.
Food Planning and Monitoring Unit Director General Md Shahidul Alam said, "The data presented here will be approved by the BBS or the government, which will not leave any room for questioning its transparency."
The Bangladesh Food System Dashboard provides information on key food system indicators at the national and local levels. It can be found at https://www.foodsystemsdashboard.org/countries/bgd/subnational-data.
Similar dashboards have been developed in six countries around the world, including Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, Pakistan and Indonesia.
The idea of these dashboards was formed following the UN Food System Summit in September 2021 which aimed to tackle global food security challenges like hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and instability.
The Food Planning and Monitoring Unit, the BBS and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) jointly worked to develop the dashboard, in partnership with Columbia Climate School and FAO and in collaboration with various ministries, departments, and agencies.
