Walter De Jong akufuula kubangula kwa mafani wowonjezera kutentha. Akundiuza za mbande zomwe zili pambali pake, zomwe zimatsitsa nthaka yamdima mu gridi la miphika yaying'ono. De Jong, woweta mbatata komanso wofufuza zamasamba ku Yunivesite ya Cornell ku Ithaca, New York, akuyembekeza kuti chimodzi mwazomera zidzagulitsidwa bwino, koma ndizotheka kuti zidzakhala kompositi.
De Jong adatulutsa zomerazo mofananamo, mwakhama momwe bambo ake adaliko iye asanabadwe. Anasonkhanitsa mungu kuchokera ku chomera chomwe chimatulutsa mbatata zomwe zimathyola ngati tchipisi ta mbatata ndikuyenera kuwaza mungu pa duwa la mbatata lomwe limalimbana ndi ma virus. Ngati mbatata yomwe ikubwera ili ndi zinthu zabwino kwambiri za makolo awo-ndipo palibe yoyipa-De Jong adzawayika m'manda chaka chamawa ndikuyesa minyewa yawo ngati ali ndi kachilombo ka mbatata. Ngati apulumuka-ndipo ali okonzeka kudya ndi kudya-iye ndi gulu lake abwereza izi kwa zaka 13 kuti awonetsetse kuti majini ovuta sanalowemo pamtanda woyamba.
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Chaka chilichonse, mwayi wolephera ndiwokwera. Mbatata yomwe imalimbana ndi ma virus, mwachitsanzo, nthawi zambiri imakhala ndi majini omwe amawapangitsa kulawa kowawa. Ena amatembenuza mthunzi wofiirira wosakoka ukazinga. Ngati chilichonse chonga icho chichitike, De Jong ayenera kuyamba kuyambira pomwepo. Monga yotopetsa, amakonda ntchitoyo. Akuyambitsa dothi m'mizere yomwe ikudutsa kumapiri a kumpoto kwa New York, akuti, "Sipanikizika konse m'minda ya mbatata."
De Jong wakhala akugwira ntchito ndi alimi kwa nthawi yayitali kuti adziwe kuti chakudya chathu sichingokhala gawo lakutsogolo kwa tizilombo toyambitsa matenda ndi matenda. Omwe amasankha ngati De Jong amagwira ntchito molimbika kuti apange mbewu zosagonjetsedwa, koma alimi akuyenerabe kutembenukira ku mankhwala ophera tizilombo, ena omwe ndi owopsa ku thanzi la anthu komanso chilengedwe. De Jong amasangalala kudula mungu kuchokera ku chomera-kubzala mwachikale, koma amadziwa kuti kuswana kosankha kumangopanga zochuluka kwambiri.
Chifukwa chake pomwe De Jong amapitilizabe nthawi yake yambiri kukometsa luso lake, wayamba kuyesa njira ina, ndi ukadaulo wa majini. Kwa iye, ukadaulo wa majini ndi njira yolondola kwambiri yopangira mitundu yatsopano, m'malo mongowononga majini a mbatata 39,000 momwe kuswana kwachikhalidwe kumakhalira. Mwa kuyika jini yolanda bowa mu mbatata yokoma, mwachitsanzo, De Jong amadziwa kuti atha kupatsa alimi mankhwala omwe amafunikira mankhwala ochepa ophera tizilombo.
"Tikufuna kupanga chakudya kukhala chokhazikika," akutero a De Jong, "ndipo pakadali pano sindinganamizire kuti ndi chomwecho."