EXCELLENT WOMEN

Vet aims to better inform Bangladeshi farmers

DR SALMA SULTANA had already overcome gender barriers when she received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2010.

But as she started her career, she realised there was a gap between the availability of and demand for livestock treatment in rural areas of Bangladesh. Farmers whose lives depended on their animals didn’t have access to and couldn’t afford vets, so would try to treat the animals themselves. But their lack of knowledge was often catastrophic for their income.

In 2014, Dr Sultana founded the Model Livestock Institute in Dhaka, a training centre aimed at addressing this problem through short, needsbased courses, with a focus on giving skills to women and young people. She then set up the Livestock Institute Veterinary Hospital to deal with emergency cases; VetSheba, a call centre where farmers can get expert advice; and the

Model Livestock Advancement Foundation, which educates women in animal health and welfare.

“My great hope is to continue my work to build a hunger and poverty-free world,” says Dr Sultana.

Last year, Dr Sultana was honoured by the World Food Prize Foundation and awarded the Norman E Borlaug Field award for her work and for inspiring women veterinarians and smallholders, too.