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General Technical Documents

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  1. Minimal Soil Disturbance and its Effect on Soil Moisture Availability
    This short document contains graphs that show how zero tillage leads to increased water infiltration and increased water retention in soil.
  2. Green Manure/Cover Crop approach in RAMA-BC
    This document distinguishes between ‘anchor’ cover crops (that are intercropped with a main crop such as maize) and ‘secondary’ cover crops (that don’t compete with the main crop because they have a short life cycle, and that can help cover the soil at the start of the growing season). The...
  3. Farmer Own Soil Fertility Analysis
    Four nutrient deficiencies--phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, and magnesium--can be diagnosed by observing maize leaves. This document includes photos of a healthy maize leaf and of maize leaves demonstrating each of these nutrient deficiencies. It also contains suggestions for how to address each...
  4. Dryland Farming: Crops & Techniques for Arid Regions
    In every region of the world it is necessary to find or develop appropriate techniques for agriculture. A large part of the surface of the world is arid, characterized as too dry for conventional rain fed agriculture. Yet, millions of people live in such regions, and if current trends in...
  5. “Push and Pull” in Combatting Fall Army Worm and Witchweed (Striga)
    In the Push-Pull system, crops that repel pests and/or attract pests’ predators are intercropped with maize, to ‘push’ pests away from the main crop. Plants that attract pests are planted around the field, to ‘pull’ pests away from the maize. Incorporating legumes in this system means that soil...
6 more General Technical Documents

ECHO Technical Notes

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  1. TN #16 A Beginners Guide to Small-Scale Tropical Agriculture
    So you want to help people in the tropics. Beautiful! The tropics are waiting for you. No matter what your abilities, you can make life better for others in the tropics. Your concern for the physical and spiritual well-being of people can be translated into fruitful service. Your first asset is...





  2. TN #95 100-Fold Vegetable Gardens with Low-Cost Wicking Beds
    2019-07-23 I discovered 100-fold gardens while researching ways to irrigate plants directly in the root zone. I wanted to know how to practically and affordably control some of the variables that influence plant growth, such as water availability and soil fertility. I read about “wicking beds,” which are...





  3. TN #94 Parasitic Plants in African Agriculture
    2019-03-21 This Technical Note provides an overview of parasitic plants of agricultural significance in Africa. Parasitic weeds cause drought stress and stunted crops. Affected plants include cereal grains (e.g., sorghum [Sorghum bicolor] and maize [Zea mays]) and grain legumes (e.g., cowpea [Vigna...





  4. TN #92 Bamboo for Construction
    2018-05-17 Many plants deemed as invaluable for the smallholder farmer offer nutritious food for the family, fodder for animals, or timber for construction. Remarkably, bamboo offers all three of these assets from the same perennial plant! This Technical Note will focus on how to most effectively harvest,...





  5. TN #91 Underutilized Crops for Small Farm Abundance
    2018-02-09 Traditional diets included a wide variety of ingredients from myriad wild and domesticated plants. Regional cuisines were shaped by native species in their local environment and by gradually-adopted plants from distant places. The modern global food system and market pressures have reversed this...
37 more ECHO Technical Notes

Haitian Network Documents

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  1. Vetiver Latrine Guide
    A “how to” guide to successfully install a natural, sustainable latrine using vetiver grass The use of vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) replaces the need for a concrete block lined pit, creates privacy and actively helps decompose the waste. Jiji grass (Achnatherum splendens) can be used...





  2. Abundance Agroforestry - A Syntropic Farming Guidebook
    2019-01-20 Reviewed by Dawn Berkelaar ECHO has an extensive network of agricultural experts working in diverse areas of production and development. Many members contribute to our various publications and resources, often writing or contributing to our existing documents. Some provide self-developed...

Conservation Agriculture Core Training Guides

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  1. Conservation Agriculture Facilitator’s Guidebook
    2020-04-20 Guide Book alsoavailable in Amharic /Chichewa /Kinyarwanda; Posters also available in Amharic / Kiembu / Kikuyu / Kikamba / Kinyarwanda / Chichewa /Alur; Farmers' Booklet also available in Kinyarwanda The source documents (.docx and .pub)of these materials are available in the author's dropbox....





  2. Conservation Agriculture - Core Lesson Farmer Booklet
    2020-04-20 Guide Book alsoavailable in Amharic /Chichewa /Kinyarwanda; Posters also available in Amharic / Kiembu / Kikuyu / Kikamba / Kinyarwanda / Chichewa /Alur; Farmers' Booklet also available in Kinyarwanda The source documents (.docx and .pub)of these materials are available in the author's dropbox....

ECHO Development Notes (EDN)

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  1. EDN Issue #147
    2020-04-14 Responding in the Case of an Epidemic or Pandemic A Tip of the Hat to the Tippy Tap Promoting Biodiversity on Maize Smallholdings: Importance of Birds From ECHO's Seed Bank:Fast-Growing Plants for Household Food Supply Echoes from Our Network: 100-Fold Gardens in Honduras Books, Web Sites, and...





  2. EDN Issue #146
    2020-01-27 Low Oxygen Methods for InsectControl in Seeds ECHO International Agriculture Conference 2019:Topic Summaries Echoes from our Network:Roger Gietzen on the topic of syntropic farming Books, Web Sites and Other Resources: Vetiver Latrine





  3. EDN Issue #145
    2019-10-18 Pest Prevention: The Foundation of Integrated Pest Management Echoes from our Network:Nutrition Education inthe Context of Community Agriculture Programs From ECHO's Seed Bank:New Lima Bean CultivarsAvailable Books, Web Sites, and Other Resources: Syntropic Farming Guidebook by Roger Gietzen





  4. EDN Issue #144
    2019-07-24 Introducing 100-Fold Gardens: Wicking Beds for High-Density Planting of Vegetables Where Water is Scarce Echoes from our Netwok: Literacy and Agriculture and Termite Harvesting in Ghana From ECHO's Seed Bank: Earthbag Houses for Storing Seeds Books, Web Sites, and Other Resources: Restoring the...





  5. EDN Issue #143
    2019-04-26 Learning about and from local seed systems Germination to Detoxify Jack Bean Techniques to Boost Plants’ Stress Tolerance and Extend Fruit Marketability From ECHO's Seed Bank: Fever Tree Books, Web Sites and Other Resources:Planetary Health Diet Proposal
52 more ECHO Development Notes (EDN)

ECHO West Africa Notes

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  1. ECHO Notes de l'Afrique de l'Ouest Numéro 3
    2019-07-22 Le système de riziculture intensive (SRI) Qu'est-ce que le SRI ? Les étapes de mise en œuvre du SRI L'irrigation des plants Le sarclage et le sarclo-binage, quels sont les avantages ? Le rendement du SRI Etude comparée entre le SRI et la pratique traditionnelle de riziculture Intérêt du SRI...
  2. ECHO Notes de l'Afrique de l'Ouest Numéro 2
    2018-01-03 Techniques de production avicole traditionnelle epublication:Options de restauration des sols improductifsetOptions où l'eau est rare





  3. ECHO West Africa Note Issue 1
    2017-08-01 Foundations For Farming, an alternative for small-scale farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa How to prepare compost in 3 weeks? The preparation of organic liquid fertilizer eBook Release:Fundamentals of Agricultural Development epublication

ECHO Best Practice Notes

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  1. BPN #7 - Selecting Legumes as Green Manure/Cover Crops
    2017-05-26 By integrating legumes into cropping systems, small-scale farmers in low-resource settings can invest in the long-term health and resilience of their soils. Success or failure depends largely on choosing the right legume(s). With that in mind, this document presents insights on legume selection...





  2. BPN #6 - Conservation Agriculture
    2016-09-28 Farmers in many parts of the world, because of human population growth, have little choice but to crop their land continuously, with scarce resources to replace nutrients withdrawn by each successive crop. Crop residues are often lost as a source of organic matter and mulch, usually through...





  3. BPN #5 - Seed Storage in the Tropics
    2016-03-22 Yearly production of grains, pulses, and vegetables depends on a reliable supply of quality seed. This is true for the farmer growing a crop to feed their family as well as for the agricultural worker evaluating and growing out seeds of a new crop species or variety that could improve lives. In...





  4. BPN #4 - Institutional Agricultural Design
    2014-04-01 ECHO frequently receives questions from members of our network, asking how available land could be used to grow food and/or create income to augment an otherwise non-agricultural project. Broadly speaking, they are asking how to begin an institutional agriculture project—a coordinated agriculture...





  5. BPN #1 - Improving Degraded Land
    2012-11-14 The UNCCD estimates that over 250 million people are affected by land degradation, and about 1 billion people in over 100 countries are at risk. According to the WMO, 33% of the world’s land surface is vulnerable to land degradation.Degraded lands lead to overall reduced productivity and reduced...

Food Plant Solutions - Publications

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  1. Potentially Important Leafy Greens and Vegetables in the Western Pacific
    2016-09-20 This book is designed as a simple introduction to the more common leafy greens and vegetablesof the Western Pacific. It is hoped people will take greater pride and interest in these plants and become confident and informed about how to grow and use them. Many of the local food plants that occur...
  2. Food plants for healthy diets in the Western Pacific
    2016-09-20 This book is designed as a simple introduction to the more common food plants for healthy diets inthe Western Pacific. It is hoped people will take greater pride and interest in these plants and become confident and informed about how to grow and use them. Many of the local food plants that occur...

ECHO Summaries

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  1. Farmer Engagement in Agriculture Extension
    2015-08-05 Good intentions and viable solutions will have little impact unless we engage with farmers in ways that are meaningful to them. Farmers put a great deal of confidence in what they learn from fellow farmers’ experiences, and they are more likely to trust what they see over what they hear....





  2. Effective Use of Workshops in Agriculture Extension
    2015-07-14 Workshops are an often-used and effective tool that extension workers can use to teach new skills to groups of farmers. This document, drawn from the USAID/MEAS Technical Note on Presenting Workshops to Adults, explains how a workshop setting differs from that of a classroom/teaching setting, and...





  3. Participatory Methods and Tools in Community Development
    2015-05-19 A participatory learning approach, applied at each stage of a community development project, is crucial to reaching the level of stakeholder involvement needed for lasting, positive change. The use of participatory survey and planning methods in the development process encourages community...





  4. Gender Equality in Agriculture Extension
    2015-05-01 This article draws from the MEAS Brief # 2 Reducing the Gender Gap in Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services: How to Find the Best Fit for Men and Women Farmers. Many of the gender-related topics and lessons discussed in the MEAS Brief also apply to the transfer of knowledge and resources...





  5. Climate Change and the Role of Development Workers in Helping Rural Agriculture Communities Adapt
    2015-04-30 This document draws from the MEAS brief #3Adaptation under the New Normal of Climate Change: The Future of Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services. Written for extension and advisory service providers, the MEAS brief contains insights helpful to practitioners working to develop strategies...
1 more ECHO Summaries

Books

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  1. Composition and nutritional value tables of raw materials intended for farm animals
    2004-03-10 French only. Resulting from the joint efforts of Inra and the French Association for Animal Production, these new tables present the composition and nutritive value of the raw materials used for feeding the major farm animal species. These data reflect the changes in both raw materials and...





  2. Restoring the Soil - Second edition
    2019-05-21 Now available through Amazon as well as the ECHO Bookstore Smallholder farmers around the world face some of the harshest growing conditions globally, yet they produce the majority of the world’s food. Soils in these areas often lack nutrient and water holding capacities, due to erosion or poor...





  3. Pig Farming in the Tropics
    2011-01-20 Smallholder pig rearing is becoming a resurgent interest area for both farmers and farmer advisers. With its helpful, practical and up-to-date advice on breeding, nutrition, housing and the management and economics of pig farming, this booklet provides you with all the information you need to...
18 more books
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  1. Food plants for healthy diets in the Western Pacific
    Practical ways of growing local food plants and doing it well.
  2. Potentially Important Leafy Greens and Vegetables in the Western Pacific
    Practical ways of growing local food plants and doing it well.





  3. PARM - Managing risk at the farm level – Slides
    PARM’s capacity development (CD) activities aim to improve stakeholders’ knowledge on agricultural risk and increase their management capacities to address all types of risks. These trainingSlideswere compiled to serve as a reference document on the key ideas and information to be presented in an...
148 more links

Presentations

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  1. Possibilities for producing off-season tomatoes based on organic manure for improve and support the standard of living of rural populations in cropping systems of small scale in Gambia (West Africa)
    2010-09-21





  2. Skills transfer to women



  3. Evolution du Systeme de Riziculture Intensif (SRI) compare' a la Pratique Paysanne
34 more presentations

Plant Information Sheets

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  1. Prairie Acacia
    Acacia angustissima grows as a thornless shrub or small tree to an average of 2-7 meters tall with a single short trunk. It is a legume, capable of fixing nitrogen in nodules on its roots if the appropriate strain of Rhizobium bacteria is present in the soil. It is often found in tropical...
  2. Acacia mangium
    Acacia mangium can grow to be a tall tree up to 30 m. It is a fast-growing tree that can tolerate acidic and degraded soils. This tree grows best with moderate rainfall and full sunlight. It is one of the major leguminous species used in plantation forestry programs throughout Asia and the...
  3. Vegetable Amaranth
    Amaranthus spp. is an annual, erect herb (up to 1 m tall) grown for its edible leaves Leaves grow up to 8 cm in length and are present in an alternate arrangement along the stem. Small flowers are borne on slender spikes within inflorescences up to 12 cm long. Fruit are small, compressed,...
36 more plant information sheets

Videos

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  1. SAWBO - Protecting Yourself from Coronavirus
    Now available in English, French, Spanish, Swahili, Italian, Chinese, Bengali, Bamanankan, Arabic, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Pidgin, Hindi . Others in the works. COVID-19 has now spread around most parts of the world. This animation addresses best practices to protect against Coronavirus through...





  2. SAWBO - How to Identify and Scout for Fall Armyworm
    The Fall Armyworm is an insect that can damage your maize plants or even cause you to lose your whole maize crop. The best way to protect your maize crop is to scout early and treat early. In this animation, we will explain how to scout for the fall armyworm, so you can take action to protect...





  3. SAWBO - Biocontrol of Legume Pod Borer (Maruca vitrata)
    The Legume pod borer,Maruca vitrata, causes significant damage to cowpeas in West Africa. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is considered the most important food grain legume in the dry savannas of tropical Africa, where it is grown on more than 12.8 million hectares of land. The pod borer is a serious...
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