Episode 101: ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Org.)

ECHO (Educational Concern for Hunger Organization) is an organization that uses the power of agriculture on a global scale to reduce hunger and improve lives in underdeveloped countries. ECHO provides students and overseas development workers with agricultural skills and resources to help those who are just one failed crop away from starvation.

Moved by the plight of hunger in Haiti, ECHO was formed in the 1970's

In this episode, we will not only learn more about these garden heroes, but we’ll will see how to apply many of the skills shown in the simulated gardens to the similarly challenging conditions of our own home gardens.

Innovative Options
“Our goal is to improve the abilities of international community development workers assisting poor farmers by providing useful, important information and by networking their skills and knowledge with each other. We also provide hard-to-find beneficial food plants and seeds.

Teaching planting techniques

ECHO understands that there is a wealth of agricultural knowledge among the poor farmers we seek to assist. As such, ECHO does not “teach” people how to farm. Rather we work to make farmers more effective at growing food producing crops under harsh conditions. We do this in a number of ways: educations, publications, seed bank, a technical response unit, offering resources in Urban Gardening.”

ECHO’s Global Farm Tour

“A unique attraction for Lee County, ECHO’s Global Farm Tour is a fascinating 90-minute tour of the most creative working farm you have ever experienced. You will find demonstrations, plants, and techniques useful to farmers and urban gardeners in developing countries. Experience six settings of the Global Farm and taste leaves and berries while you explore rain-forest habitats, visit farm animals, stop at a simulated Haitian school, witness urban gardening techniques that allow gardens on rooftops and learn all about ECHO’s mission of helping the poor help themselves.

Interns work and learn at ECHO

Appropriate technologies demonstrated at ECHO include biogas (turning cow manure into gas for cooking and lighting): a sawdust cooker; a simple solar food dryer; and more. Tropical sheep, goats, turken chickens, ducks, tilapia, and rabbits are integrated into the farm. If that is not enough to entice you, ECHO has one of the largest collections of tropical food plants in Florida.”

Visit their website at www.echonet.org

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