ECHO Global Farm - Hope Against Hunger

The United Nations has released some sobering statistics. Over a billion people in the world, or one in every nine, are undernourished. One child dies of hunger every twelve seconds. Right in Southwest Florida, you can visit a place that is making a difference in its efforts to change these statistics. ECHO Global Farm is an International not-for-profit focused on agricultural research, training and networking. This is where a difference is being made with the group’s mission to reduce hunger and improve lives through agriculture. The Christian Interdenominational group has a vision to honor God by empowering the undernourished with sustainable hunger solutions. Although they are Christ-focused, they support any individual from any faith that needs help.

ECHO has its world headquarters in Fort Myers, Florida and is listed as a four-star charity by Charity Navigator. Over 84% of all donations are put back into the organization. All administrative offices are located in Florida with connections to international regional impact facilities that distribute seeds, training and connect farmers to important network contacts. New impact centers were opened in East and West Africa in the early 2000s.

Upon arrival at the farm, we were greeted by the tour coordinator Russ Luther; “The strength of ECHO is our network partners with over 18,000 other organizations. All have access to our computer database where we share info. This is all from Christ. We did not invent what we learn from plants or their nutrition. We teach the best way to grow specific plants in a specific region where a person lives. We give them the seeds. We have been doing this for forty years. Instead of giving food, we teach people how to grow the most productive nutritious food in the most efficient way.”

I had decided that I wanted to sign up for not one but both tours that are offered - the Unique Global Farm Tour and the Appropriate Technology Village Tour.

The Global Farm tour appealed to me as it was billed as a foodie experience, and I love plants! The Farm tour provides views of unusual and super nutritious plants that make a positive impact on ending hunger. Samples of unique food offerings are provided to the groups.

I thought the second tour, called the Appropriate Technology Tour, would appeal to my engineer husband as literature described it as a guided tour walk through African, Asian and Latin American style homesites where you could learn about creative and specific technologies for regions and their uses. 

The tours started with a volunteer guide showing a video describing the group’s history and mission. The organization was started in the 1970s by Richard Duger when he took a high school class to Haiti to help poverty-stricken people with hunger issues. The original meaning of the ECHO acronym stood for Educational Concerns for Haiti Organization.

In 1981 agriculturalist Dr. Martin Price got the current ECHO group up and running with a worldwide focus. The acronym now stands for Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization. The group focuses efforts between 23 ½ degrees north and 23 ½ degrees south latitudes, where there are the highest population densities. ECHO Global Farm now has seventy full-time employees. Over four hundred volunteers also help to run it. Many are seasonal. When the pandemic started, there were almost twice as many volunteers. Certain areas had to be closed due to a lack of help. 

In addition to staff and volunteers, ECHO equips eight “world changer” interns a year. Their degrees are not only focused on botany or agriculture, but some have biblical and business degrees. Their desires are the same - to come to work and gain knowledge on how to help others. Internships run from June to May and include both classroom and hands-on farming experience. Each is assigned to handle one specific type of farming region, such as community gardening, monsoon areas, tropical highlands, urban gardening, tropical lowlands and rain forests. Many are children of missionaries that want to bring what they learned to help people in areas affected with hunger. Over two hundred and fifty interns have gone through the program already. 

ECHO Global Farm also has one of the largest agricultural libraries available. www.Echocommunity.org provides info on specific agricultural plants and animals, insects, farming techniques, development notes and more. Anyone can create a password and search the website for specific data. A technical response team is available to answer questions.

Luther gave an example of a project ECHO accomplished five years ago when the head of the Methodist Church in Cuba approached them. The Centralized Marxist Government didn’t allow people to own property of any kind. If you grew potatoes, for instance, the government would take the crop yields and distribute them as they wanted. You could raise your own cattle and then the government would take them. After years with Fidel Castro at the country’s helm, no one farmed anymore. Help was needed to start people with food production and subsistence farming. The group came in and showed farmers how to do small-scale agriculture.

We learned all this just from the short film! Next came the tours, where we were able to learn about agricultural issues and solutions involving plants, agricultural techniques, shelter methods, cooking and tools. The tours were very inspirational and had interesting aspects, including some demonstrations that would appeal to many visitors. Revenues from these tours, in addition to sales merchandise and contributions, help to support the important work they do. Interestingly, some colleges require students to take tours for credits as part of their colloquial class requirements.

We were able to speak with some hard-working interns during the tours, including Christine Meyers, whose grandparents are missionaries in Mexico and Brazil. She explained,” I want to learn what to do to support farming. Planning is the most important, it is God’s way. I want to help people with Agriculture and ministry and help them with sustainable food systems.”

Delivery of education and best solutions create a ripple effect where farmers are taught best practices and then teach others in their communities. The not-for-profit brings people from all over the world to study their life-sustaining agricultural methods. According to ECHO Global Farm literature, seventy percent of the chronically hungry rely on small-scale agriculture for their livelihoods. This is their target audience. Research is conducted on innovative ideas and best practices. People are trained at corporate headquarters, regional impact centers or in the field. Farmers in over one hundred and ninety countries are served monthly. Last year over six thousand people were trained. Farmers try what they learn and provide data back to ECHO so that they can improve on demonstrated good ideas. 

At the seed bank, the guide talked about research that has been done on how to improve yields through the implementation of different methodologies. Over 7,000 trial seed packs were sent out to people just last year.

One important demonstration showed how a simple bicycle pump that many already have could be used to pump out air in a container creating a vacuum and eliminating any environment for insects or mold to grow. 

Our guide told us how agriculture has the potential to feed everyone in the world. He reminded us about Maslow’s Hierarchy which details that certain basic human needs, such as food and shelter, must be met before we can even think about self-actualization. In certain areas, there are populations where communities have had to leave due to violence and weather and then find themselves in new, unfamiliar zones where they do not know how to implement their familiar farming practices and crops. On our walk, Luther showed us how the farm’s fifty acres were set up to emulate specific regions. At each of the sample regional locations illustrative specific farming techniques were highlighted that would maximize both nutrition and yield based on the specific ecosystem.

Over 4,000 different plant species are planted on the compound. Different plants were highlighted for their nutrition and ability to grow in environments that are sometimes harsh. In certain areas, planters are encouraged to grow cash crops such as vanilla to help with family expenses and education to improve overall quality of life. We were able to sample some leaves of plants, including Cranberry Hibiscus flowers which are rich in Vitamin C.

One interesting species shown was the tropical Moringa plant. Leaves can be eaten, seeds can purify water and antibacterial medicines can be made from it. Excess leaves and pods can be used to feed animals. It easily grows in poor soil from seeds or cuttings. Shade from its canopy can protect other plants from the harsh sun. Its nutritional value is mind-blowing. A sign at the facility says it provides substantial amounts of Vitamins A, C, and E and irons, folates and protein. It also has high antioxidant activity. Seeds are provided to farmers where plants are grown; seeds from grown plants are collected and distributed to others. It’s a low-cost gift that keeps giving and improves health in areas where there are nutritional deficiencies.

Over seventy-five percent of the world’s foods are from twelve plants and five animal species. Farmers are encouraged to grow additional crops like old world plants like Quinoa and Amaranth. They can be easy to grow and have high nutritional value. Quinoa has a high protein content.

Farming techniques were described that take advantage of growing seasons and the availability of water. One example was when seven different species of avocados were planted that had different times of harvest so that there would be available food over different seasons. 

Water retention in dry seasons was addressed with the digging of special “Zai holes” that are dug in dry areas where limited rain can travel into the holes but cannot run out easily or dry quickly on sunny days.

On the compound, there are also many livestock and poultry farming methods explored. There were Turkens, a type of chicken with no feathers on their necks. These birds are easier to pluck as they have less feathers. Their bodies are made for meat production as they are heavier than most chickens. The guide laughed; “God had a sense of humor when he developed these as they are actually from Transylvania.”

On the technology tour, we learned that tools we normally associate with farming, water, food storage and shelter are not always available, so helping to provide appropriate technology with what materials are available can help a farm thrive. This might mean using plastic bottles as part of a shelter wall or making chimneys out of leftover metal. 

In many areas, it is the women and children that travel long distances to get water and are more susceptible to predators and violence. By developing creative water transport containers with wheels these at-risk people can lessen the number of trips and transport the valuable commodity back home with less effort. Additional new purification methods help communities get valuable water for both drinking and watering crops. Drip line technology helps to parse out precious water to plants.

Repurposing old materials is key when there are limited monies and resources. One example provided was where an old tire was converted into a purse or a water carrier. Those, in turn, could be turned into sandals that could be repurposed when worn out or as a part connected to a PVC pipe that could be part of a pump.

There was a demonstration of solar cooking. There are areas where fuel is not readily available. We were all treated to goodies cooked on special folding solar ovens that had been developed so that they can be easily shipped to locations with a need.

In addition to an onsite nursery where one can purchase some of the plants shown on the tour, there is a neat onsite store. It features unique offerings including seeds, books, plant-made materials, pottery and international crafts such as jewelry. I bought some Neem toothpaste after seeing and learning about the plant that they bill as “Nature’s Pharmacy” when we were on the Farm tour. The guide explained that it contains a powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, antifungal and anti-parasitic quality. Neem is a natural insect repellent, insecticide, fertilizer, and is used for healthy teeth and gums.

Volunteer tour guide Dennis Soerens sums the mission of the place; “ECHO Farms does not provide food to those in need for a day. We impart the knowledge to help feed them for years as well as the generations that follow them.”

To learn more about tours, volunteering and how to make donations, please check out www.echonet.org. There is also an app called ECHOcommunityapp.

Students who want to keep learning after taking a tour can go to edn.link/fieldtrip for student materials and resource links.

An annual fundraiser Farm Festival is held on the second weekend of March.

ECHO Global Farm is located at 17391 Durrance Road, North Fort Myers, Florida, 33917. Check them out at www.echonet.org or call 239-543-3246. Call for admission info and times.