Maria Andrade
2016 World Food Prize Laureate & Leader for Sweet Potato Breeding in Africa, CIP
To counter the devastating effects of Vitamin A deficiency, which contribute to high rates of blindness, diarrhea, immune system disorders, and premature death in children and pregnant women in Africa, Maria Andrade, Robert Mwanga, and Jan Low undertook a multi-year effort to develop disease-resistant, drought-tolerant, high yielding varieties of orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) that can flourish in the variable soils and climatic conditions found in Sub-Sarahan Africa. It is especially meaningful to note that World Food Prize founder and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug went to Africa in 1986 to combat food insecurity by implementing the Green Revolution’s high-yield agriculture technologies.