Systematic Mindset, the Individual as a “Star,” and the Hat as a Talisman (An Interview with the Honoree)

Academician Victor Valentinovich Alt is celebrating his 80th birthday and 55 years in his profession. On the eve of his anniversary, we spoke with the scientist about his dedication to science, resource management, and the future of agriculture in Russia.

— Victor Valentinovich, you have devoted decades to advancing agricultural technology. How did your journey begin?

— I’m originally from the city of Sretensk in the Chita Region. I was a good student; math came especially easily to me. I participated in regional math competitions and in the first Siberian Math Olympiad held at the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok campus of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. When it came time to choose a university, I decided to attend NETI, now NSTU, because NETI had launched a new major in “Computing Devices and Systems,” which was closest to engineering, mechanics, and everything I love. Toward the end of my studies, I was invited to work at SibVIM (later SibIME of the Siberian Branch of the VASKhNIL). I came here in February 1969; then, in 1972, the Specialized Research, Design, Engineering, and Technology Bureau
was established, where I served eight times as deputy director and director, and nine times as head of laboratories, and for over 20 years now I have been working as its director. If you add up my total years of service, it comes to about 55 years! From then until now, I have been working on the technological modernization of agriculture.

— You’ve witnessed various stages of agricultural modernization: mechanization, automation, and now the advent of artificial intelligence. In your opinion, how are technological innovations transforming the agricultural sector?

— Agriculture is based not on urbanization or the technological revolution, but on the balance of five key resources: land, plants, animals, machinery, and agroclimatology. At the center of this “star” is the human being, with their social and financial circumstances. If any of these resources, normalized per unit of area, drops to zero, all production comes to a halt, even with the use of artificial intelligence. For example, without plants there would be no agriculture; without animals, only hunting; and without machines, we would revert to a primitive way of life.
The balance of these resources has a multiplicative effect: they reinforce one another. If one is zero, the result is zero. Today we are seeing an imbalance, especially in the social sphere: villages and the rural way of life are disappearing. Large holding companies maintain a high standard of living for their workers through intensification, but in the remote areas, 150–200 km from Novosibirsk, only a handful of residents remain in the villages. I have recently visited the Krasnozersky District—a large village with several dozen households, a post office, a community center, and a health clinic—and now only two families of retirees remain there.

— But doesn’t technology improve efficiency?

— Absolutely! While the area under cultivation in Russia has decreased compared to the Soviet era, grain production has risen from 130 to 150 million tons. Yields have increased thanks to new varieties, machinery, and technologies. At the Novomaiskoe farm in the Krasnozersky District, over the past 30 years, the area under cultivation has grown from 9,000 to 24,000 hectares, and yields have risen from 9 to 35 centners per hectare, while the number of combine harvesters has decreased by a factor of 3.5. Labor productivity has increased by approximately 1,000%, but the number of workers has decreased. I can give another example: OOO Sokolovo in the Kolyvansky District, where combine operators harvest 1,100 hectares each compared to the regional average of 400 hectares; all 12 combines operate at the same capacity, and the farm finished the 2024 and 2025 harvests first in the Novosibirsk Region.


— If fewer people are needed but more land can be cultivated, wouldn’t such intensification lead to a “rotational” approach in agriculture?

— The shift system is only feasible where the work site remains constant, as in gold mining. In agriculture, however, the technologies require a continuous cycle: for example, at the Sokolovo farm, 15–18 operations are carried out during the growing season to ensure compliance with technical and agricultural regulations. This is not a shift system, but a highly organized process. In livestock farming, cows are milked three (or four) times a day for yields ranging from 4,500 to 12,000 liters, unlike in the past when cows were milked only in the morning and evening. But, as you can see, human presence is constantly required. But to make people want to live in the countryside, we need to create decent living conditions. 
The only problem so far is that we cannot control the weather, and that is a very important resource.


— You are the author of more than 400 research and development projects, which have resulted in 86 certificates, inventions, and patents. How do your ideas and inventions come about?

— They usually come to me spontaneously. Once, while I was out walking with my wife, the solution to a problem involving the quantization of thermal processes popped into my head. I jotted down the formulas on a scrap of paper in a hurry, and by morning I could barely remember them! But that became the basis for a system we successfully implemented at AvtoVAZ. Another example is the paradigm of information support for agriculture, which I formulated at a meeting of the Presidium of the SB VASKhNIL (All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences), also almost spontaneously: I was listening to the speakers, and suddenly realized how a system emerges from disparate reports. I took the floor and drew it right on the board! I just asked my colleagues to take a picture of it—I probably wouldn’t have been able to explain it that way a second time, because it was some kind of incredible flash of insight. It became part of my doctoral dissertation and formed the basis for the development of the Siberian Institute of Agricultural Problems (SibFTI).


— No matter where you are on the field, people recognize you right away, and one of your most distinctive features is your famous hat. How did this unusual tradition of wearing a hat come about?

— (Smiles) In the mid-70s, my friends and I were really into hunting. And we had a tradition: if you bagged a fox, you treated everyone to cognac! In 1976, I had some luck on a hunt. I went to the village of Proletarka in the Ordynsky District, stopped by a store for some cognac, but they didn’t have any. Instead, I saw a hat with a wide brim—and it fit me perfectly! I’ve been wearing hats like that ever since. It’s both a reminder of those times and a sort of good-luck charm. My friends had to drink whatever was available in the store back then, but they didn’t take offence at me.


— You’re turning 80 this year. What advice would you give to young scientists today?

— Develop systematic thinking! Even back in school, I used to solve problems at night, jotting down ideas in the dark. Science requires a constant internal dialogue. Seek a balance between tradition and innovation, and remember: technology should serve people, not replace them. Believe in yourself and your abilities, and you’re sure to succeed!