ECHO a dream realized
At the time ECHO was founded in the early 1980s, it was quite common to turn on the news to learn the latest about another nation dealing with famine and starvation.
Bangladesh, Nigeria, Cambodia and later Ethiopia and Somalia dealt with famine caused by drought and/or war that killed millions and starved many, many more.
However, though famine has not been eradicated, the worldwide, Christian/based organization based in North Fort Myers that has taught local farmers how to maximize their harvests and even thrive in some of the toughest and harshest conditions has been a literal lifesaver for many.
ECHO started with modest dreams and has done much more than anyone ever could have imagined. Its 57 acres of Bayshore Road brings not only tourism opportunities but also serves as a lab to experiment with different techniques to help farmers worldwide feed their communities
These farmers pass on what they’ve learned to the benefit of their families and the entire community. The result has been a sharp reduction in the number of people dealing with hunger worldwide.
Meanwhile, here at home, ECHO brings people in worldwide to learn ways to grow food using the technology available to them while also offering a local element, featuring tours, workshops and areas on the farm where visitors can see what grows where.
It started with five acres of flooded land, two people and a dream to change the world.
Indiana businessman Richard Dugger led a group of high school students on a visit to Haiti in the early 1970s and was deeply moved by the plight of the people he met.
“He was touched by the depth of the poverty the farmers faced and wanted to come back to the States and do something about it,” said Danielle Flood, who has worked at ECHO for 15 years as communications director.
They would call it ECHO, an acronym for Educational Concerns for Haiti (later Hunger) Organization and Christian laymen and clergy would soon participate, working on projects in Haiti in the early 1980s.
Duggar would soon meet Dr. Martin Price and his wife, Bonnie, who would soon move from Ohio to Florida and purchase five acres off Durrance Road and plant the seeds of an organization now known worldwide for its efforts.
“Dr. Price was a chemist and wanted to use science to help the poor. Together they founded ECHO and the Prices moved to Florida, having never been there before,” Flood said.
There were problems right off the bat however, as the Prices quickly learned that growing tomatoes in Florida was entirely different from growing them in Indiana because of the soil, intense heat and constant summer rain.
And, oh yeah, toads.
“I got things growing, but I didn’t realize how different it is to garden here than in Ohio. Nobody thinks of toads, but they were eating the tomatoes,” Price said.
“I also realized there was a water table rising, and soon there was nothing,” Price said.
After three years, Price wondered if the farm was going to make it, but they persevered.
ECHO’s role in the world would become more clearly defined under Price’s leadership. ECHO’s resources were directed towards strengthening the work of other organizations. Under his direction ECHO became a growing pipeline for sharing information, ideas and techniques that would work.
ECHO’s primary functions became to provide agricultural information to overseas workers, distributing seeds for promising food plants, and offering training opportunities at the ECHO farm, functions that exist today.
ECHO purchased another 7.5 acres in 1991. In 1998, a generous gift made it possible for ECHO to construct a visitor center and a technical resource building, which allowed for an expanded bookstore, tour reception area, and an expanded library as well as room for the office staff and volunteers.
In 2001, ECHO received a grant to develop the Global Farm and Research Center in which six separate areas of tropical climates are simulated on the North Fort Myers farm. As malnutrition is most prevalent in the tropics, they tend to focus there.
Tropical lowlands, tropical highlands, monsoon, semi-arid, rainforest clearing, community garden, appropriate technology and urban garden are featured today, run by interns.
Flood said they have dropped ECHO as an acronym because it’s hard to remember and they want to be called ECHO as in “Echo good ideas around the world.”
Sharing the message locally
Price would soon discover after opening the farm that people would visit and ask what he was up to. Price would stop what he was doing and show them around.
It happened enough that he started asking people to come at 10 a.m. on Fridays so he could conduct a tour for those interested..
“For the first two decades we did tours on Friday at 10 a.m., expanded to Tuesdays when so many people started coming,” Flood said. “They started charging for tours about the time I came so they could reduce the number of people who came, and that year (2007) it (attendance) doubled.”
Now, ECHO does tours multiple times per day during season and three times per week in the summer. It holds numerous workshops and demonstrations throughout the year so local gardeners and farmers can learn growing techniques.
It is also a research and demonstration site where techniques are tested. They take techniques tried in different areas of the world and test them on the farm to see if they work well so small farmers in need of assistance don’t have to take the risk of experimentation.
“We do regular research projects, variety trials, we also test things and those findings are published to our network of workers throughout the world,” Flood said. “We also teach plant propagation, which is multiplying plants and this led us to build a nursery.”
Of course, ECHO’s Christmas is the annual Food & Farm Festival that happens every March. What started as a single-day event has grown into three days of learning about exotic foods, sustainable living, innovative farming, and gardening.
You can experience unique tours, tastings, cooking shows and make-and-take workshops. With Saturday being the open-air Farm Day Festival featuring hands-on activities for everyone.
They also have a nursery and book store for people to bring home some of the exotic plants or learn about their favorite plants and make them thrive.
“We have a lot of knowledge to share here with homeowners and gardeners. We have a lot of workshops and hands-on training classes. By allowing people to grow their own food, it helps the entire community,” Flood said.
ECHO around the world
Of course, the most important aspects of ECHO are the things visitors at the farm don’t see. In fact, they are usually thousands of miles away in every corner of the globe, helping farmers become more independent.
The farm supports the international impact centers. Much of the support they get comes from North Fort Myers, Flood said.
The impact centers are located in Thailand, Tanzania and Burkina-Faso, and each of them is located to have the most impact in the region they serve. The technology and the plants they share are adaptive for the culture, climate and environment they serve.
The volunteers speak different languages so they can train farmers in their own language. They also have access to travel so all the impact centers are impacting 10 to 15 countries.
“The work we do is as diverse as the people we serve. In West Africa we target a very dry climate as they teach conservation agriculture techniques that minimize water and soil disturbance,” Flood said. The use of compost and liquid fertilizer increases the harvests, techniques some farmers had never heard of before.
In Tanzania, the use of appropriate technology is used more so the crops can be protected from pests, stored long term and brought to market for a better price.
In Thailand, seed banking is being done more, Flood said.
“Being able to spread the seeds out allows for more diversity of what farmers can eat. It’s more than saving the seeds, picking them and putting them in a jar. How can you give a small bud room that will help the seeds last another year?” Flood said.
The result of their work is nothing short of amazing. The farmers tend to use the techniques they have learned and most important, they share that information with others.
About 90 percent of the people trained have implemented what they have learned and find it valuable to them and on average they share that information with 40 other people.
“It’s incredible to see the impact ECHO had. We trained 6,530 people face to face last year, with more than seven hours of training each. We also sent 7,394 seed packets for free around the world. Multiply that by 40,” Flood said.
Their website was viewed in 190 countries.
Put it all together and you have a reduction in world hunger, helped in large part by ECHO and the farmers they serve being willing to share what they have learned.
“COVID increased world hunger for the first time in 20 years, but we look at the United Nations Food & Agricultural Organization and it’s been decreasing over the last 40 years and we’re proud to have been a part of that,” Flood said.