ECHOcommunity更新
Dive Deeper with ECHO CEO Abram Bicksler 2025-09-07
Saturday, September 13th | Podcast (Online)
ECHO CEO Abram Bicksler will be a plenary speaker for the September meeting of the American Scientific Affiliation (ASA). Abram's Diving Deeper Discussion will discuss ECHO's mission, vision, and commitment to reaching smallholder farmers with agroecosystem strategies based on scientific evidence and local contextualization. This involves ECHO’s core functions of identifying (finding), validating (testing), disseminating (sharing resources and training), and evaluating (measuring) agricultural options that lead to effective and impactful training and dissemination of agroecosystem strategies. Join to listen live or listen to the recording and dive deep!
A Recap of the Global Holistic MEAL Symposium 2025-08-26
The Global Holistic Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Symposium, held 7-9 July 2025 at ECHO Asia’s Regional Impact Center in Chiang Mai, brought together organizational leaders, researchers, and MEAL professionals for three days on the topic of measuring the transformative impact of holistic development efforts.
Day one featured sharing about challenges, successes, and lessons learned as well as case studies from various organizations.
Day two was facilitated through a charrette (pictured left) which brought together practical ideas, stimulated participants to work together, and facilitated consensus-based participation.
Day three started with a panel discussion on trust-based philanthropy, emphasizing how stories, statistics, and trust in an organization’s ethos and leadership go hand in hand. This was followed by a time of reflection.
Beyond the sessions, the symposium fostered networking and community-building. Attendees connected over shared interests, potential collaborations, and opportunities to drive meaningful change.
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Great news for our community in Central America and the Caribbean (CAC)! 2025-08-19
The Regional Impact Center (RIC) now has a home base in Antigua Guatemala ✨
Our regional director is already on site, taking the first steps to get this space up and running and build the team that will help drive this process forward and serve you in the best way possible 🌟
🌱 Our desire is for the CAC RIC to be a living and useful tool for you—those who are on the front lines, walking alongside families and communities affected by hunger and malnutrition.
🚀 Join us on this journey, filled with hope and commitment!
🙏 Together with you, we seek to keep working to combat hunger and malnutrition in our region, and to promote a just, sustainable, and life-giving food model for the glory of God.
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EIAC 2025 Early Bird Extended 2025-08-05
Did you miss the Early Bird deadline for the November ECHO International Agriculture Conference? We have extended our deadline for the Early Bird price to August 31st!
Visit the link to the conference website above for more information about our plenary speakers, post-conference options, becoming a speaker, poster session opportunities, lodging, and registration.
We hope to see you this November!
Promote your event! Utilize ECHO Conversations' event category 2025-07-29
Network Event Postings
Does your organization have an event coming up that might be of interest to agricultural or community development workers? Post it here with details and a link for more information or to register. Please include the date of the event so we can ‘hide’ the posting once the event is in the past. Include any details that will be helpful for ECHO Community members when planning for the event!
Seed Banking Training at ECHO North America! 2025-07-22
Are you interested in seed security?
Join this 5-day intensive on seed saving and seed banking! You will explore key topics such as seed biology, multiplication, selection, processing, storage, and pest management, with an emphasis on enhancing food security and agricultural development. The course includes hands-on demonstrations and real-world applications, providing practical skills for successful seed management in the tropics. The week will conclude with a seed swap, offering an opportunity to connect and exchange resources with fellow participants!
Now Available! EDN 170 2025-07-15
In this issue
- Should I Apply for Organic Certification? A Practical Guide for Farmers and Producers
- Is Aquaponics for me?
- Echoes from Our Network: Grow Fertility using Green Manure/Cover Crops
- From ECHO’s Seed Bank: ‘Georgia-1’ pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan)
Should I Apply for Organic Certification?
A Practical Guide for Farmers and Producers
Spencer Leung, GO Organics Peace International
Excerpt:
Certification costs vary by certification category, farm size, number of sites, and the distance the inspector travels. Each certifying company will ask for information to calculate costs. Third-party certifiers often charge higher audit and travel fees. Smallholders selling locally can reduce costs through Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) or group certification. PGS processes typically require modest administrative levies shared among members. Farmers aiming to export products should budget for consultancy services, laboratory tests, and certification fees accepted by the export country.
Survey Opportunity: Agroecology Living Labs 2025-07-08
ECHO Commuity member Marie Miller-Aichhol is conducting research about the role of agroecology living labs in sustainable food systems. Please share your thoughts on this method for promoting sustainable, equitable, and productive agroecosystems. The survey is 18 questions and only available in English.
Her research objective is to study the extent to which agroecology living labs contribute to environmental justice and food sovereignty. In other words, how much they live up to the claim of transformation and systems change, given the increasing use of the term in recent years, not least in policymaking and science.
EIAC 2025 Speaker Highlight: Roy Danforth and Paul Noren 2025-07-01
Roy and Paul met working on the same project in Congo in 1980 and became a team for 40+ years. Together, they have written 3 books on Agroforestry in the hot, humid tropics. Their years of working together have generated many stories to tell and practical suggestions to pass on to the younger generations during this year's conference!
Roy was born in Southern California and grew up camping and loving the outdoors, especially in rustic areas, which led to his interest in college in Biology. He and his wife got married after a year of college and were called to the mission field a few months later. They both joined the Evangelical Covenant Church and served 20 years in the DRC and 20 years in the Central African Republic/Cameroon, where they worked alongside farmers helping them with new species of beans, veggies, and fruits, along with improved farming methods. Roy is retired now, but continues to advise several other ag projects, mostly in Africa.
Paul Noren was born and raised in the Ubangi region of the DRC to missionary parents. His dad was from a farming background in Kansas and was also an outdoors sportsman, so Paul was introduced to planting things and spending time in the wild from his childhood on. Paul and his wife Sheryl went out as missionaries to the area where he grew up in 1979. Paul has worked in three countries over the past 45 years: DRC, Central African Republic, and Cameroon.
Register to hear these remarkable speakers!