ECHO Farm

ECHO farm is unlike any other place I have ever visited before.  I actually never knew a place like ECHO actually existed.  I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to tour and learn about everything that goes in at ECHO. 

ECHO does not technically produce new plants or seeds, but they experiment with new ways in which plants can grow.  Workers at ECHO try to mimic the harsh environments found around the world where world hunger is prevalent and find plants that can grow here.  Once a plant is found to be successful in an environment, volunteers/workers from ECHO send sample seeds to the country to try it out.  ECHO workers actually go on mission trips to these countries and teach the native people how to garden the seeds.  The seeds are well researched by interns who work at ECHO.  Research papers are actually posted online for anyone to download and read.  ECHO is becoming well known around the world for its ground-breaking research and positive effect on other countries.  It is actually the third most popular tourist attraction in Lee County.  These seeds are distributed to over 180 different countries around the world.  ECHO believes that by teaching people how to farm the seeds, they will be instilling in them a new lifestyle that is more nutritious and efficient for their communities.         

Roof-top gardening

I found it extremely interesting how ECHO tries to shape the six different sections of their farm into different harsh environments found around the world.  These environments involve some type of difficult soil, water, and/or climate that inhibit commonly found crops to grow.  ECHO works to teach people new techniques to farm in things other than soil.  I witnessed this in the roof-top garden sections during my tour.  ECHO also has innovative ways to irrigate and cleanse water, and ways to deal with harsh climates.   This is the main reason why ECHO is located in Fort Myers, Florida.  The climate is somewhat comparable to the environments found in countries like Africa and Haiti where hunger is an issue.  ECHO is trying its best to make a large impact on the nation, and even the world.  They hope that by teaching people around the world ways to better their lives, they can change the problem of world hunger.  ECHO is a religious group and strongly believes that God has given us all the resources we need, and that it is up to people to learn how to use them.

ECHO is not a government based program.  This means that they money they receive to run the farm is mostly from giving tours, their store, and donations.  They do get a sum of money from grants, but money is always an issue as they try and find new advancements in farming.  ECHO is also trying to fight the environmental issue of pesticides on their farm.  They are trying to find natural ways, which are not harmful to humans, to keep the crops healthy.

Goat on ECHO Farm

 My tour guide was Bill Hooth, and he has been with ECHO farm for seven years.  He strongly believes that the work ECHO is doing will help decrease the problem of world hunger.  He is very proud of the mission groups that go out around the world and teach people how to improve their lifestyles.  He believes that teaching is better than just giving, and will last a longer time too!  ECHO is constantly looking for volunteers to help run the farm.  They also hold many conferences where people are taught all about coping mechanisms with harsh farming climates in other countries, seeds, farming, using manure, and training others.  I think it would be interesting to attend one of these conferences to help find solutions to world hunger.

Nutritional value of Moringa Leaves

I believe ECHO is the definition of sustainable.  Everything on the farm is natural.  The plants and farms are all thriving in exotic environments.  I enjoyed how many of the plants were not well known, but had a nutritional value that was higher than anything we eat here in the USA.  It seems to me that more information needs to be distributed on these plants to make them better known.  I was especially fascinated in how manure was compressed into gas and used to run a stove.  I also found it interesting how the animal droppings on the farm were used as fertilizer on the crops.  Everything that ECHO is doing is sustainable.  I truly believe the farm has implemented ideas that could help alleviate world hunger.  The fact that ECHO has found sustainable ways to farm and feed villages around the world shows there is a hope to stop world hunger.  Along with all this, ECHO is invested in educating others about seeds and farming.  This means the mission statement of ECHO will live on around the world forever.