Pedro A. Sanchez

Dr. Pedro A. Sanchez of Falmouth, Mass., passed away at his home on January 12, 2026 at age 85.

Pedro was a renowned scientist whose work spanned continents, focused on soil fertility, particularly in Brazil's Cerrado region and sub-Saharan Africa. He believed that tropical soils, long regarded as inhospitable to crops, could be reinvigorated with the proper management. His work, along with colleagues and local farmers, improved food security for many of the world's poorest people.

Born in Havana, the revolution forced his family to flee Cuba, leaving behind their home, his father's fertilizer company, and all their assets. As a college sophomore at Cornell University, Pedro was suddenly unable to pay his tuition and housing, so he became a dishwasher in his fraternity to pay the bills. He eventually became president of the fraternity, and had to change clothes after presiding at meetings to wash dishes. Pedro earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. (1968) degrees in soil science from Cornell. He married Wendy Levin in 1965 (Cornell 1965), and after her graduation they moved to the Philippines, where Pedro led research at the International Rice Research Institute. His work overseas made it difficult for him to meet the residence requirements to become a U.S. citizen, but with the help of his father-in-law, he was able to get a private bill through Congress signed by President Lyndon Johnson, which allowed him to become a citizen. He was very proud to be an American and was recognized in 2021 as one of the Carnegie Corporation's " Great Immigrants, Great Americans." Pedro and Wendy, who divorced after 22 years of marriage, were the proud parents to three children - Jennifer (born in the Philippines), Evan (born in New York), and Juliana (born in Colombia).

While working as a professor at North Carolina State University (1968-1991), he married Dr. Cheryl Ann Palm in 1990. Cheryl was an incredible scientist and also a wonderful step-mom, and an important co-conspirator and counterpart to Pedro's big ideas and dreams that sometimes needed a dose of reality. Together they worked to improve soil health and decrease hunger around the world, living for periods in Peru and Kenya. While Cheryl liked to let Pedro take the spotlight, Pedro always said he depended on Cheryl for major decisions. Together, they influenced the careers and livelihoods of thousands through umpteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, and through their academic mentorship in the United States and beyond. Pedro served as the Director General of the World Agroforestry Center (Nairobi, Kenya, 1991-2001) and co-chair of the United Nations Millennium Project - Hunger Task Force. Pedro and Cheryl were professors at the University of California, Berkley; the Earth Institute at Columbia University; and the University of Florida. They retired in 2023 to Falmouth, where Cheryl first worked at the Marine Biological Laboratory in the 1970s.

Pedro's honors include the World Food Prize (2002), MacArthur Fellowship (2003), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2008) and National Academy of Sciences (2012), as well as being awarded several honorary degrees and government decorations. Pedro also shared in the honors of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He took great pride in being anointed an Elder with the name of Odera Akang'o by the Luo community of Western Kenya for his work on eliminating hunger, as well as Chief by the Ikaram of southern Nigeria with the name of Atunluse. In addition to more than 250 scientific publications, he wrote the definitive book on tropical soils (Properties and Management of Soils of the Tropics) and proudly retained the rights to distribute it for free in languages besides English. Pedro's brilliance for science was surpassed only by his dedication and capacity for humanity, through his commitment to helping eliminate world hunger and rural poverty while protecting and enhancing the tropical environment.

Pedro's expansive generosity, cheerful outlook, love of fishing and the ocean, as well as his appreciation of a good siesta, will long be lovingly remembered by his three children, Jennifer (and Jamie), Evan (and Mireille), and Juliana (and Rob); his sister Georgina and brother Jorge, his sister-in-law Suzanne and brother-in-law Steve. He leaves behind a big family who knew him as Abá, Uncle Pedro, and Uncle Playdoh: Tori, Brian, Murray, Heather, Zoe, Joe, Allston, Christina, Robbie, Ben, Matthew, Lyla, Xander, Jonah, Sasha, Emory, Colin, Josie, Caitlin, Cami, Alex, Tyler, Cassie, Zane and Ezra; and of course, his constant canine companion, Pancho.

Plans are underway for a celebration of Pedro's life. For more on his work and accomplishments, please read the tributes from The World Food Prize Foundation and the University of Florida, and ICRAF.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Women Strong, an incredible organization supporting women leaders in their communities around the world, for which Pedro was on the Board, or support your local food bank or community farm.