Upcoming events

Presenters will include UNA professors and members of the Guardianes de la Semilla seed network.

Subjects include: production, drying and storage techniques for seed banks from the Echo Community literature and planning a family garden.

The field school will include access to seed from several national seed banks.

Many Tanzanian families lack a secure source of nutritious food, do not have access to clean water, and have few streams of family income. The moringa tree provides an easily-implemented, family-level solution that addresses all three of these issues. Our 2-day training seminar will cover the following topics:

• Community Assessment - identifying assets and challenges
• Nutrition - basic nutrtion and nutritional properties of moringa (why moringa matters)
• Moringa cultivation, care, and uses
• Moringa seeds and water treatment
• Adding moringa to the daily diet
• Using moringa for income
• Management essentials

Download ECHO's International Agriculture Conference's schedule here

This year marks the 24th Anniversary of the ECHO International Agriculture Conference held in Fort Myers, FL!  We hope that you will make plans to join us for this year's conference.  The event brings together some of the world’s most influential voices dedicated to eradicating hunger and improving lives.

Speakers will share practical solutions to agricultural challenges, personal experiences and strategies for improving the lives of millions who daily face the threat of starvation. The event offers an open exchange of information, connecting the people and ideas that can make a real and sustainable difference.

Conference accommodation and meeting rooms for morning and evening sessions will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (Crowne Plaza) in the Bell Tower district of Fort Myers. Afternoon workshops and demonstrations will be held at the 50-acre ECHO farm in North Fort Myers, which has one of the largest collections of tropical fruits and vegetables in the United States.

Those interested in preparing for short/long-term involvement in agricultural development internationally  are encouraged to participate in this one-week course held two times a year. Course participants will gain an introduction to aspects of poverty and community development and an orientation to ECHO. They will also receive instruction on proven agricultural principles/practices and practical techniques, systems and technologies to meet agricultural and nutritional needs of small-scale, impoverished farmers. There will also be time for hands-on work on the farm, visits with staff, and study in the library. Course content is presented from a biblical perspective. 

Who the course is for:

This course will especially benefit those who are considering short- or long-term involvement in international agricultural development work. It can also be of benefit to those who have been on the field doing development work for a few years but who would like to take a step back and re-evaluate their approach. Those who could benefit from this course include short-term or career missionaries, international project volunteers (e.g. Peace Corps), leaders of relief-oriented organizations, or missions committee leaders of churches involved in agricultural projects overseas. 

What is offered:

This course covers a broad range of topics relevant to those starting out in agricultural development in a tropical environment.  The purpose of this class is to expose you to several different ideas and concepts.  Although a significant amount of time will be spent looking at examples on the ECHO Farm, given the breadth of topics covered, extensive hands-on farm work should not be an expectation of taking this course.

Those interested in preparing for short/long-term involvement in agricultural development internationally  are encouraged to participate in this one-week course held two times a year. Course participants will gain an introduction to aspects of poverty and community development and an orientation to ECHO. They will also receive instruction on proven agricultural principles/practices and practical techniques, systems and technologies to meet agricultural and nutritional needs of small-scale, impoverished farmers. There will also be time for hands-on work on the farm, visits with staff, and study in the library. Course content is presented from a biblical perspective. 

Who the course is for:

This course will especially benefit those who are considering short- or long-term involvement in international agricultural development work. It can also be of benefit to those who have been on the field doing development work for a few years but who would like to take a step back and re-evaluate their approach. Those who could benefit from this course include short-term or career missionaries, international project volunteers (e.g. Peace Corps), leaders of relief-oriented organizations, or missions committee leaders of churches involved in agricultural projects overseas. 

What is offered:

This course covers a broad range of topics relevant to those starting out in agricultural development in a tropical environment.  The purpose of this class is to expose you to several different ideas and concepts.  Although a significant amount of time will be spent looking at examples on the ECHO Farm, given the breadth of topics covered, extensive hands-on farm work should not be an expectation of taking this course.

Did you know that of 250,000 identified plant species worldwide that only 30 species provide 95 percent of our global food energy needs? And that only three of these crops – wheat, maize and rice – provide half of the world’s food?

With severe weather extremes and other risks to global food security, many agricultural experts agree that global cropping systems should be as diversified as possible. As small-scale farms are particularly vulnerable to climatic and economic instability, underutilized crops may be key to their resilience.

Underutilized crops are those with “underexploited potential for contributing to food security, nutrition, health, income generation and environmental services.” The ECHO Underutilized Crops Workshop (September 10-14) will not only introduce participants to various less known crops but will also spotlight opportunities for their production and utilization.

The workshop will also include practical nutrition activities in which various underutilized crops on the ECHO farm will be harvested and prepared into meals.