ECHO is an amazing place to visit and I am proud that this organization is located in Fort Myers. ECHO’s mission is to provide agricultural practices that will help people feed themselves and possibly provide them an extra source of income through the production of surplus crops. ECHO is a non-denominational Christian organization which is dedicated to fighting world hunger. The founder of ECHO realizes that people need more than just a one time hand-out. After working with the Haitian people for many years he realized that giving a man a fish helps feed him for a day but teaching him how to fish will provide food for a lifetime. People need knowledge and training to become sustainable farmers and they need to work with the resources that are readily available to them in their countries.
The demonstration of farm models and sustainable agricultural approaches help people grow their crops in various climates. ECHO models farming in dry climates, rain-forest climates, mountainous terrain, and even models how to plant an urban garden where soil is scarce. Because resources are scare in many communities, ECHO models how living fences can be used in gardens as well as the planting of bamboo to provide building materials for fences, homes, and furniture. People around the world face many agricultural challenges. Poor farmers are being pushed off of good land with rich soil to the Rocky Mountains to farm. Soil erosion is a problem and it is difficult to grow many crops. ECHO is researching ways to use layers of plants and tires to stop soil erosion and show missionaries, who will go to these areas to teach the local farmers, how to stop erosion and what crops to plant in their mountainous soil.
The lack of water is also an agricultural challenge for the farmers of the world. ECHO models how to makes wells with common items found in these countries such as bicycle wheels. The techniques they have developed do not require electricity. Rather than use precious water to flood rice paddies, new techniques using much less water are being studied at ECHO. This technique is yielding 30% more rice crop than the traditional method of flooding fields. Bad water kills many people each year around the world and the introduction of the plant chaya into a local community can help purify the water the people drink.
Getting the proper nutrients for good health is also a problem many people face throughout the world. The miracle tree Moringa, which has proven to grow in various climates, provides many of the nutrients needed to remain healthy. There are more nutrients in the leaves than are found in other foods such as citrus, carrots, vegetables, and milk. The introduction of this food source to farmers around the world is a focus of ECHO. This plant can help provide nutrients while eliminating hunger and missionaries are encouraged to introduce this plant to the rural farmers they work with.
ECHO also models how ducks, fish, rabbits, and goats can help a community by providing protein to families through animal meat and eggs. Huts are modeled that house the ducks, goats, and rabbits. The animal huts are built in such a way as to catch the manure for farming and provide necessary nutrients for fish to flourish. Goats are an excellent animal for families to raise because they provide meat to eat, manure for crops, muscle to pull small wagons, milk to drink and make cheese, and money when the animals or their by-products are sold to others. It is also comforting to know that if a world disaster should occur and plants around the globe are destroyed, ECHO has a seed storage area located below ground in Colorado. They have a plan in place to help the world grow agriculture so the remaining people can survive.
ECHO is providing solutions to hunger without any on-going government financial assistance. The work done is supported by donations made from individuals and churches. Occasionally ECHO does receive small grants to conduct research but the grants are “few and of small dollar amounts” stated my tour guide. It is inspiring to me to see the significant work this small Christian organization is performing to help eliminate world hunger and teach small farmers to be sustainable.
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