Maria Isabel Andrade

Vice President Fund Raising 2012-2016

Dr Maria Isabel Andrade
Sweet potato Breeder & Seed Systems Specialist
CIP-SSA
IIAM Av. FPLM 2698. PO.Box 2100
Maputo-Mozambique
Tel/Fax. +258 21 461 610, Cell. +258 823065460
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Profile

Maria Andrade has over 28 years of working experience in Africa with root crops. She initiated the root and tuber crops program in Cape Verde Islands in 1984. She did her BSc (Agronomy). Master (Plant Genetics) & PhD (plant breeding with minor in Plant Physiology) in the University of Arizona & North Carolina State University. Before joining FAO in 1994, she was leader of the Cape Verdean root and tuber program at the National Research institute. From 1996-2001 she worked as IITA’s Regional agronomist for the Southern Africa Root Crops Research Network (SARRNET), providing overall technical support on plant breeding and agronomy, within the context of improving the productivity of cassava and sweet potato in Southern Africa.  From 2002-2006 she coordinated a 5 year project on Accelerated Multiplication and Distribution of cassava & sweet potato.  Over 1 million farmers received improved planting material in two third of Mozambique. Since 2006, she has worked for CIP focused on breeding orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) for drought tolerance, designing promotional materials and backstopping seed systems work in Southern Africa. Other significant achievements by Maria Andrade include the strengthening of human and infrastructure capacity of NARES (National Agricultural Research and Extension Services) and private sector for sweet potato research and development, the empowerment of farmers in quality sweet potato production, the successful introduction, testing, and promotion of technologies. She works closely with other CGIAR scientists in the region to capitalize on potential synergies to be gained from joint planning and spearheads the Sweet potato Support Platform for Southern Africa under SASHA (Sweet potato Action for Health in Africa) project. She also serves as CIP’s country liaison scientist with the Government of Mozambique. Under the USAID-funded Platform for Agricultural Research and Innovation in Mozambique (PIAIT), she serves as the representative for all CGIAR centres working in the country (ILRI, IFPRI, IRRI, IWMI, IITA, ICRISAT and CIP).