Scientists are often blamed for living in a ‘scientific bubble’. It’s one thing to talk amongst fellow scientists about a certain research topics and have thorough discussions, but if scientists are not able to communicate their results with people that are not into the topic, their research loses its value. Therefore, we invited two speakers to explain their research as if they were talking to my mum at the kitchen table, who has, besides her own home garden, nothing to do with agricultural research on ‘soil fertility and nutrient cycling’. In part I we present Estelle Berset. Estelle Berset Although the title of the presentation on ‘Effects of Mycorrhiza (AMF) and Plant Growth Promoting Rhizo-bacteria (PGPR) Inoculants on Rice Crops in Northern India’ did not immediately appeal to me, Estelle Berset, scientific collaborator at FiBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture) in Frick, was a pleasant surprise between all those men during the session ‘soil fertility and nutrient cycling’. Is she able to explain her research in ‘normal words’? Can you explain what your research is about?