What ECHO Is — Networking Global Hunger Solutions

ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) is dedicated to fighting world hunger through innovative ideas, information, agricultural training and seeds. By networking with community leaders and missionaries in developing countries, ECHO seeks to find agricultural solutions for families growing food under difficult conditions.

ECHO is a non-profit, inter-denominational Christian organization located on a demonstration farm in North Fort Myers, Florida. The farm allows ECHO to provide resources for missionaries and agricultural workers in over 190 countries.

Problem Solving

Agricultural workers throughout the world write ECHO with questions about what crops to plant in their area, how to deal with problems like erosion or drought, or how to keep pests away from their crops. ECHO's technical staff responds to these questions from their own experience, ideas they received from books and journals, and techniques they have learned from other people working overseas.

Information is published in ECHO Development Notes — a highly regarded technical bulletin sent quarterly to missionaries and agricultural development workers, teachers and scientists overseas.

ECHO's specialized library allows staff and visitors to find practical answers to agricultural problems. The staff responds to hundreds of technical questions each year. Many of ECHO's resources can be accessed through our extensive website.

Seeds

ECHO's seedbank contains over 600 varieties of hard-to-find vegetables, multi-purpose trees, fruits, and other tropical crops. These plants hold special potential for producing under difficult conditions — where it is too dry, too wet, or too hilly for most crops. Much of the seed is grown on the ECHO farm. ECHO sends free, trial packets of seeds to overseas development leaders, who report performance and community acceptance of the plants. The information is then shared in ECHO Development Notes (EDN). In some cases, a pack of ten seeds has multiplied into thousands of plants or even helped introduce a new crop into several parts of the world. North American gardeners may also buy packets of selected seeds to plant in their own gardens.

Education and Training

Highly moivated college graduates with an interest in overseas service can spend 15 months as ECHO interns with hands-on work experience in tropical agriculture. Missionaries and college students can visit for shorter periods of practical experience and guided study. ECHO does not send out workers; rather, it assists those who are already in the field or preparing to go by serving as a training and technical resource.

Every November ECHO hosts an agricultural mission conference where delegates come from all over the world to learn new techniques and share agricultural solutions.

Come Visit ECHO

ECHO is located off Exit 143 on I-75. Go one mile east on Bayshore Road (Rte. 78). Turn left onto Durrance Road and park in the second driveway on the left.

Free Tours — Visit the six settings of the Global Village — the hot, humid lowlands, urban rooftop, monsoon, equatorial rain forest clearing, semi-arid tropics and hillside farming. Learn about the problem of world hunger and solutions ECHO offers. Tour Times: April through December — one tour at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, Friday, Saturday; January through March — two tours, one at 10:00 a.m. and one at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10:00 a.m. only on Saturday.

Global Bookstore and Gift Shop — Books for adults and children on plants, gardening, cooking and plant-related crafts. Also books for overseas missionaries and subsistence farmers in several languages. Books and seeds can also be ordered at www.echonet.org. Bookstore hours: 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday — Friday and 9:00 a.m. till noon on Saturday.

Edible Landscape Nursery — many of the plants and trees seen on the tour are availabnle for purchase. Nursery hours: 9 a.m. till noon Monday — Saturday.


Get Involved

• Come for an educational tour of our farm.
• Donate time and expertise as a volunteer.
• Give a tax-deductible donation to ECHO.
• Tell others about ECHO, especially those active in overseas development work and college students who might be interested in learning at ECHO.
• Pray for ECHO's Ministry.
• Subscribe to ECHO's publications: free ECHO newsletter; ECHO Development Notes, $10/year; Seed catalog (US/Canada) $1.

The June 2006 issue of ECHO Newsletter celebrates the 25th anniversary of Dr. Martin Price's role as CEO of ECHO at the North Fort Myers farm. It is reproduced in full below:













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