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Upcoming July TAD Trainings - Bundle & Save! Early Bird Ends Soon! 2025-04-29
We have two Tropical Agriculture Development trainings coming up in July at ECHO North America!
July 7-11 : Introduction to Tropical Agriculture Development
This is a 5-day course with a variety of topics that focus on improved food security and agricultural livelihoods for small-scale farmers. For more information and to register click the link below:
July 15-18: TAD II - Syntropic Agroforestry
This is an interactive 4-day agroforestry training session. Learn how to cultivate abundant food and timber in a system that mimics a natural forest. This course will cover the principles and practices needed for a beginner to plant his/her own agroforest. For more information and to register for this course click the link below:
Bundle & Save!!
You can register for both trainings and stay at ECHO for two weeks at a discounted rate! Use the link below to register for both traings. If you register before May 7th you will get an additional discount with our Early Bird price!
Early Bird Ends Soon! Register soon and Save! 2025-04-23
IV International Symposium on Underutilized Plant Species
Fort Myers, FL | October 2025
Did you know you can save on registration costs for the upcoming ISHS Symposium if you do so early? You receive $75 off with our early bird discount! Don't miss out on a chance to save! Register for this international event today. If you are currently enrolled in a program of study, you are eligible for our student registration rate.
ECHO Celebrates Earth Day 2025! 2025-04-22
Earth connects us—to our Creator, to ourselves, to our food, and to one another. As vast and complex as creation is, we’ve only begun to understand its depth. This mystery invites awe, care, and wonder—especially for those of us learning to steward it well. Thank you for being a vital person in the ECHO Community who cares for the Earth in a unique way!
IFOAM International Day of Seeds Webinar: Our Seeds, Our Future April 23rd 2025-04-15
Protecting Biodiversity and Farmers' Rights
Seed production is vital to the soverignty and vitality of the smallholder farmer and communities.
"To mark the International Day of Seeds, IFOAM is bringing together a panel of global experts for an insightful discussion on protecting seed sovereignty, resisting corporate influence, and strengthening farmers’ rights. From grassroots movements to innovative seed networks, speakers will share strategies to ensure a future where farmers, breeders, and communities thrive."
The webinar will be recorded so that those who wish to, can watch it at a more convenient time.
FAO World Bee Day 2025 Photo Contest ends April 14th! 2025-04-08
Capture the magic of bees and other pollinators as they keep our ecosystems thriving! This is your chance to showcase the beauty and vital role of bees and other pollinators in nature, agriculture, and sustainability.
📅 Submission deadline: 14 April 2025
📅 Winners announced: 20 May 2025
🏆 Prizes & Recognition:
- Top 3 photos featured on FAO’s official social media
- Pictures displayed at the 2nd International Forum for Action on Sustainable Beekeeping and Pollination in Ethiopia
- Certificate of recognition & exclusive FAO merchandise
🌍 How to Enter:
- Capture a photo that embodies the theme: "Bee Inspired by Nature to Nourish Us All" · Complete the online entry form with a description of your photo
Now Available! EDN 169 2025-04-01
In this issue
- Direct Solar Dryers: A simple, cheap option for solar food drying
- Echoes from Our Network: In-Field Grafted Avocado and Fertility Ditches with Elephant Grass and/or Bananas
- From ECHO’s Seed Bank: Moth Bean Vigna aconitifolia, a Multipurpose Legume for Arid Climates
- Books, Websites, and Other Resources: New Book Release - Community Seed Bank Options
Direct Solar Dryers
A simple, cheap option for solar food drying
James Dontje
Excerpt:
We have dried a variety of fruits and vegetables successfully with this dryer, using thermometers, dietary scales, and small relative humidity sensors to “calibrate” the drying so that simple visual and texture cues can be used to determine when the food is dry enough for storage. A lot of testing has been done with mango slices –they are more difficult to dry sufficiently in a humid environment and if we can dry them successfully (and we have done so), we think we can dry just about any other food.
NEW Technical Note # 103 Tire, Sack, and Keyhole Gardens 2025-03-25
Home gardens are typically small growing areas near the homestead that contain crops of specific importance to the family. Home gardens offer quick access to herbs, fruits, and vegetables that help boost household nutrition. This article will detail step-by-step instructions for how to make a tire garden, sack garden, and keyhole garden. One key advantage of contained gardens like the tire, sack, wicking, keyhole, and 100-fold gardens is that you select the substrate for the growing space when you build it and, therefore, can start with fertile soil. You can use compost, aged manure, or other growing mediums well suited to crop growth. The main limitation of these gardens is that the substrate dries quickly and requires frequent watering (daily or every two days).
ECHO East Africa Burundi Symposium 2025-03-18
The 8th ECHO East Africa Biannual symposium in collaboration with HOPE International Burundi was held at the end of February, 2025. The symposium had 30 presenters and 130 participants from 14 countries across continents. Participants shared and encouraged one another in areas of sustainable agricultural practices, agroecology, farming systems, and more!
Don't miss the next ECHO East Africa event this July
Black Sapote Seeds - Now available for a limited time! 2025-03-13
Black sapote (Diospyros nigra) is also called chocolate pudding fruit or black persimmon. Fruits turn brown and soft when ripe. Fruits are eaten fresh, cooked in dishes, or combined with dairy products. ECHO staff and volunteers enjoy using the fruit to make black sapote bread or black sapote brownies. Seeds of black sapote do not store for long periods of time because they are recalcitrant and therefore are only offered from the ECHO Global Seed bank for a limited time each year. You must be an active development worker and a registered member of ECHOcommunity to order seeds. To learn more about black sapote, see ECHO's plant information sheet: Black Sapote.
The many causes of leaf curling 2025-03-12
Plant leaves curl in response to various environmental stressors. When certain pests, such as psyllids, mealybugs, and thrips, feed on a leaf it can cause leaf curling and deformation. When plants are too hot or too dry, they can also curl along the entire leaf margin. Some diseases, usually viral, also cause leaf curling. So, when you see leaves of your plants curling how do you know the cause? Below are some general guidelines:
- Leaf margins curling down, no yellowing – underwatering
- Leaf margins curling down, yellowing – overwatering
- Leaf margins curling upwards – heat or wind stress
- Leaf curling mainly in new growth and in deformed ways – often a disease or insect pest
- Middle or old leaves curling and have patchy yellowing but green veins – Magnesium deficiency
- New leaves curling and have patchy yellowing but green veins – Manganese deficiency