Veterinarian Dr Salma Sultana has been awarded the prestigious 2020 Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application by the World Food Prize Foundation (WFPF). The award ceremony took place virtually on 13 October 2020.
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About the Award
The Norman Borlaug Award recognises exceptional, science-based achievements in international agriculture and food production by individuals under the age of 40. It honours the legacy of Dr Norman Borlaug, who in the 1940s and 50s worked extensively in Mexico, demonstrating intellectual courage, perseverance and determination in the fight against global hunger and poverty.
Path to the Award
Dr Salma learned about the award through the WFPF website while researching organisations committed to addressing hunger and poverty. “I noticed that Dr Muhammad Yunus and Dr Fazle Hasan Abed were World Food Prize laureates,” she recalls. “There are two categories – the World Food Prize and the Dr Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application. I qualified for the under-forty category and submitted my nomination in 2018.”
In mid-2020, she received an inquiry from the WFPF regarding her work. “They even engaged international organisations to verify my activities,” she says. She was unaware of her selection until 31 August 2020, when an interview with the WFPF revealed the news.
Overcoming Challenges
As a female veterinarian and a single woman in her thirties, Dr Salma has faced considerable challenges, both professional and societal. Despite her family’s unwavering support, they encountered many stereotypical questions. Upon hearing the news, her mother and brother were overjoyed. “When I explained that the award is like the Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture, my mother could not contain her happiness – we even danced together,” she says.
Her project supervisor in the United States and mentor, Dr Nitish C. Debnath, also expressed immense pride in her achievement.
Professional Contributions
In 2015, Dr Salma founded the Model Livestock Advancement Foundation (MLAF), an NGO dedicated to vocational training, animal healthcare, public awareness, employment creation, and women’s empowerment. For her work, she received the Joy Bangla Youth Award (2017) from Young Bangla.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, she launched two significant initiatives to promote food safety and security:
Animal Feed Support – providing feed supplements to farmers.
Safe and Green Bazar – an online platform offering lab-tested, certified animal products including chicken, duck, eggs, milk, and beef, ensuring benefits for both consumers and producers.
She also took personal initiative to feed stray animals during the pandemic, later receiving volunteer and financial support from peers and local authorities.
Commitment to Food Safety and Organic Practices
Concerned about zoonotic risks—the transmission of harmful substances from animals to humans—Dr Salma emphasises that consuming meat from sick animals or those treated with excessive medication can cause harmful chemical reactions.
She is also a strong advocate for genuine organic food production, warning that “organic” is often misused as a marketing tool. She notes that organic production must exclude all chemical pesticides and fertilisers, and even drinking water for livestock must be treated. Through Safe and Green Bazar, her trained staff ensure strict food safety measures, and she aims to train farmers across Bangladesh in organic methods that are both effective and affordable.
Focus on Women’s Empowerment
Many of her recent projects aim to maximise female participation, particularly in rural areas. “To raise a voice, you must first be self-sufficient,” she asserts. By offering vocational training and education on farming techniques and food nutrition, she seeks to equip women with the skills to achieve independence.
Vision for the Future
Dr Salma’s ultimate goal is to ensure equal access to proper nutrition for all, regardless of gender or social status. She stresses that fast food and unbalanced diets are major causes of poor health and aims to promote dietary awareness and healthy eating habits nationwide.