IRRI Pioneer Potpourri: Hubert Zandstra on the excitement of conducting research
Channel: International Rice Research Institute
Date: 20/09/2010

Hubert Zandstra (IRRI agronomist, 1975-80; IRRI deputy director general for research, 1989-91) on the excitement of conducting research

I think, in terms of the scientific and research experience, IRRI ranks at the top. Now that's partially the consequence of my being at IRRI as a scientist and researcher. There's nothing more exciting than being a scientist and researcher. It's like playing roulette. You got paid for it! You know, it's incredible that you go out there, you place your bet, you put your plots in, and then you find out it works—Damn it! It is so exciting!

For example, I remember in the wake of Typhoon Didang, which came through [on 10 May 1976], there was so much flooding that the Ministry of Agriculture asked us to develop a technique for growing a 70-day rice crop because so much of the season had been lost. So, with a double-transplanting technique, we managed to do this. It was basically placing a bet that this would work. We'd done some research on it before, but we'd never really put it all together. We couldn't test it anymore because there was no more time for it. We had to just go with it—and it worked! It gave farmers at least about 80% of the yields they would have had [without the storm].

The excitement of conducting research is not talked about enough. Scientists are perceived as being pretty dull, but, you know, it is really a very, very exciting existence.  So that's a highlight. And, as I mentioned, the other highlight is that the best job in the [CGIAR] system, in my opinion, is that of director of research. It's tough to handle on the people side, interacting and dealing a lot with an incredible amount of interpersonal problems among scientists and between them and giving direction to the scientists, and so on. This can be a very tough fight, but I think it is an extremely rewarding position.