Lima, Peru — 02 February 2024 — The International Potato Center (CIP) is pleased to announce that Dr. Martha C. Giraldo, Professor in the Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez (UPRM), has been selected as the winner of the 2025 Excellence in Sweetpotato Communications Award. This distinction honors individuals who demonstrate outstanding leadership, creativity, and impact in communicating the importance of sweetpotato to diverse audiences. Dr. Giraldo’s innovative work has significantly influenced how farmers, students, educators, and communities across Puerto Rico and the Caribbean understand and value this culturally significant crop.
Dr. Giraldo leads the Sweetpotato Awareness and Education Initiative, a central component of a broader, multi-year project dedicated to improving Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies for sweetpotato, tanier, and yam throughout the region. This initiative combines scientific rigor with imaginative educational approaches, positioning sweetpotato as both a vital food resource and a symbol of cultural identity. Her team has produced annual IPM pocket guides in Spanish, English, and French that present production practices, nutritional insights, culinary applications, and cultural context in a concise and accessible format. These guides translate complex agronomic guidance into materials that are easy for farmers, extension agents, and educators to use.
“This award motivates me to keep bridging science and society. Sweetpotato is more than a crop, it’s a tool for nutrition, education, and cultural identity. I look forward to expanding this work and sharing it globally,” said Dr. Giraldo.
A hallmark of Dr. Giraldo’s outreach work is her creative engagement with youth audiences. She spearheaded the creation of the “Super Sweetpotatoes” comic series, which introduces children to root crops through colorful characters whose “superpowers” reflect the nutritional strengths of different cultivars. Through school visits, university garden activities, and community events, she has used these characters and stories to connect scientific concepts with familiar and enjoyable experiences. These efforts have helped cultivate agricultural literacy among young learners, bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and early educational development.
The initiative’s reach extends across Puerto Rico and into the U.S. Virgin Islands. Dr. Giraldo and her team have facilitated field days, workshops, and seminars that engage families, youth groups, 4-H participants, and agricultural extension professionals. Over the course of the program, they have reached more than 800 individuals in 25 municipalities, providing hands-on learning experiences and practical demonstrations of IPM strategies. Evaluations conducted before and after these activities consistently show meaningful increases in participants’ knowledge of root crops, their nutritional and functional properties, and their relevance to food security and sustainable diets.
The Sweetpotato Awareness and Education Initiative, supported by the NIFA-USDA Crop Protection and Pest Management Program (EIP 2024-03461), has strengthened local food systems by combining science-based IPM training with public education on the value of nutrient-rich Caribbean root crops. By positioning sweetpotato, tanier, and yam as “Caribbean superfoods,” the program has encouraged healthier diets while deepening community resilience and agricultural awareness.
Dr. Giraldo’s work stands out for its unique blend of scientific accuracy, creativity, and cultural relevance. Her communication materials engage technical audiences while remaining welcoming and inspiring to children and community members. This multifaceted approach exemplifies the purpose of the Excellence in Sweetpotato Communications Award, which seeks to elevate voices that bring agricultural science to life.
About the Award
The International Potato Center grants the annual Excellence in Sweetpotato Communications Award to recognize exceptional contributions to advancing public understanding of sweetpotato science, nutrition, and cultural value. The 2025 award includes a prize of USD 500.
About CIP
The International Potato Center (CIP) is a CGIAR research center committed to applying science-based innovations to improve food security, nutrition, and climate resilience in root and tuber systems. More information is available at www.cipotato.org.