Andrade began her agricultural career when she started a Cape Verdean vegetable planting program in 1984. While leading the National Research Institute in Cape Verde, Andrade became a member of the
Food and Agriculture Organization in 1994. From 1996 to 2001, she worked for the
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture as a sweet potato
agronomist for a research group in Southern Africa. Andrade's research in sweet potatoes' value of providing the daily vitamin A requirements has led to the global support in their use in biofortification. Outside of her work with the International Potato center, Andrade was the vice president of fundraising for the International Society for Tropical Root Crops from 2012 to 2016. == Awards and honors ==