Seed Saving Can Be Life-Saving

® NEWS ECHO volume 41 | issue 1 honoring God through sustainable hunger solutions

in this issue: the great multiplier  seed saving can be life-saving  networks expand in Latin America  power in the produce  intern spotlight: Evan Neubacher in this issue ECHO exists to follow Jesus by reducing hunger and improving lives worldwide through partnerships that equip David Erickson, President/CEO people with agricultural resources and skills.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6

ECHO is laser-focused on the principle of multiplication. As we enter 2018, we are awaiting the results of independent external assessments of the multiplication rate of ECHO’s direct trainings around the world.* These results will give us a “baseline” reference point as we work to increase our multiplication rates in the coming years. The idea is very simple: good seed, well planted, in good soil, will multiply!

Of course, while ECHO does produce and distribute actual seeds, I’m talking about training that spreads knowledge and skills about plants, practices and appropriate technologies that can reduce hunger and improve the lives of resource-poor farming families. Equipping these farmers to thrive AND share what they have Cover photo: Intern Gretchen the great networks seeds in a intern learned with others increases the impact many times over! Rops harvests rice on the multiplier expand container spotlight research rice plot at ECHO-3 3 5 10 13 As you will read in this issue of ECHO News, we are generously “sowing” in West Florida. Africa, East Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and in Southwest Florida. Even the by-products of our training – fresh fruits and vegetables – are being shared with a local food bank and soup kitchen. Consistent with the principle articulated by the Apostle Paul, we are also seeing a generous harvest that is making a difference Upcoming Festival! in the lives of women, children and men all around the world. As they share what they have learned, the benefits and blessings spread throughout churches and If you have plans to be in Florida this Spring, is testing and sharing sustainable solutions. communities. Hunger is reduced, lives are improved, and God is glorified! save the date for ECHO’s Global Food and Nature lovers will enjoy touring the lush, ECHO News is published Farm Festival on March 17th. serene farm filled with mature plantings, All of this is possible because of those of you who choose to “sow generously” into quarterly by ECHO, Inc. tropical fruits, experimental gardens and ECHO and through us to the world. As you read, please join us in giving thanks for At ECHO, we take education seriously, lots of small farm animals. the abundant harvest that is flowing from this generosity! edited by Danielle Flood but we also know that learning can be extremely fun! If you weren’t one of over 2,800 guests that Please share your comments attended last year, we hope you won’t miss about ECHO News. Write: In gratitude, Our annual Global Food & Farm Festival it this year. 17391 Durrance Road, North is no exception. Families can participate in Fort Myers, Florida, 33917, educational activities. Gardeners will learn e-mail: [email protected], or how to manage Florida’s unique growing call: 239-543-3246. challenges. People who enjoy cooking will want to attended the live-on-stage cooking shows with samples available for tasting. * Once we have the results of these assessments, we will be making them public. Those concerned about world hunger will interact with demonstrations of how ECHO

ECHO News 1 January 2018 ECHO News 2 January 2018 Farmers use chemical fertilizer to tend to the plants that West Africans about God’s love and how they can follow survive the torrents. However, doing so steals even more Him, too. nutrients from the soil and won’t allow crops to grow as well in it the next season. In addition, farmers often sign The Gospel message is Sanou’s inspiration. “I remember contracts with cotton companies with hopes to make Jesus Christ feeding people when they are hungry and money through mass cotton production. When crops fail, teaching them that they need the Word of God,” Sanou said. farmers are left with nothing. After hours of training, the men and women disperse to Sanou sees the great need for agricultural revival in West their homes, knowing they have been given an invaluable Africa, but he also sees need for spiritual revival. gift. When gray, heavy clouds arrive at the start of a rainy season, ECHO-trained farmers can stand tall in their fields. Before each training, Sanou and his team take time to fast They are ready. and pray. They ask God to use them to teach about His love and to bring abundant crops to the West Africans who To measure the effectiveness of their trainings, Sanou and come for training. They ask God for safety and food security his team believe follow-up is essential. Are the techniques in the midst of terrorist attacks like the one in Mali on June Grafted avocados, originally from ECHO,were working? Are the farmers succeeding? Six months after a 18 or Soum Province on Feb. 27. Sometimes Sanou will lock distributed to local farmers. For the last five years, training, a farmer invited Sanou and his team to visit. himself in his office to pray, telling his team he will see no over 100 trees were distributed annually. visitors until he is finished. “You have to come see this,” the farmer said with excitement. “The sorghum is tall! The millet is green and abundant! During trainings, Sanou and his team teach farmers how Come see the product of your work!” to build rock bunds to protect crops from ripping out of the soil in the flash floods of the rainy season. They teach During his visit, Sanou did notice something different The Great Multiplier lessons on composting, explaining the importance of about this village. The crops didn’t heave dismally in the returning nutrients back to the starving soil. They teach sun. Instead, they swayed valiantly in the breeze. When he Farming God’s Way, a technique to grow plants under looked at the faces of the villagers, they carried themselves McKenzie Van Loh | Journalist decaying organic matter. Most importantly, ECHO teaches just as valiantly. Robert Sanou, ECHO’s West Africa Regional Impact Director gives While standing in this transformed village, Sanou told farmers, “This is the fruit of what we have done with God. thanks to God for the outcomes of ECHO’s trainings. We have been praying for God to provide healthy crops, and our God is good!” The temperature in Burkina Faso is 109 degrees. Robert without notice. Food is scarce and expensive. The Sanou gathers a group of farmers under a neem tree to water is dirty or gone. Bony cows collapse in the dust Sometimes, Sanou invites his friends and family to his house shield themselves from the heat. with empty stomachs and dry tongues. to have a thankfulness party. Together, they celebrate all God has accomplished in West Africa through ECHO. The farmers’ necks tilt Farming in West forward to bring their ears “You have to come see this,” the Africa isn’t for the However, Sanou and his team know there is much more closer. They only speak to faint-hearted. work to be done. With 2.5 million people* at risk for food ask questions, and never to farmer said with excitement. “The insecurity in Burkina Faso alone, ECHO focuses on educating complain. What Sanou has to sorghum is tall! The millet is green The rainy season farmers to equip them with hands on skills. ECHO hopes say is a matter of life or death. and abundant! Come see the is unpredictable. their trainees will go on to teach more farmers; multiplying Sometimes it arrives ECHO’s impact one training at a time. Sanou is ECHO’s West Africa product of your work!” in April or May. Regional Impact Director. Sometimes the wait We invite you to join us in prayer that God, the great He travels to villages in the tests farmers and multiplier, would extend ECHO’s reach to reduce hunger region to lead agricultural trainings for farmers to learn, their families even longer. When it decides to show and improve lives of the hardworking families of West Africa. apply and teach efficient farming practices. up, the floodgates open. The deluge rips the topsoil This compost training under a shade tree in Burkina Faso from the ground, leaving fields with minimal nutrients. equipped local farmers with a vital skill. During the dry season, the sun bakes the nutrients out The erosion snatches crops from their fields and carries of the pale, brown dirt. It steals the sweat off bodies them away before having a chance to ripen. *https://wfpusa.org/countries/burkina-faso/

ECHO News 3 January 2018 ECHO News 4 January 2018 Networks Expand in Latin America

In Guatemala, I visited Miracles in Action and One of ECHO’s newest staff members is Cecilia Gonzalez – the team leader for the Latin their work in improving nutrition, education, America/Caribbean region. She is from Ecuador and attended agriculture college in and job training with Mayan populations. Their Honduras at the Pan-American Agricultural University, “Zamorano”. Additional studies work connecting cottage industries and value took her to the University of Arkansas and Cornell University. This interview by Gene chains is particularly empowering. Fifer will take you inside the heart and passion that Cecilia has for the region. In Cuba, my colleagues Kelly Wilson, Bob Hargrave, and I were hosted by the United Gene Fifer - How is the Latin American/Caribbean and water management expertise while others are Methodist Church. Several pastors, church Regional Impact Team structured? wet and humid. Each regional impact center can leaders, and ministries are involved in food offer different trainings and resources to address production by raising animals and cultivating Cecilia Gonzalez – Our team is a small, but the diversity of the countries in their region and crops. They expressed sincere desire and growing team, that through ECHO community their partners. commitment to use the land they had to reaches a very diverse region, particularly bless others with food. They were interested within the tropics. It includes the islands of the One way in which our region is different is that in serving the widows and orphans in the Caribbean, the northern part of South America, the Fort Myers headquarters is practically and church as well as the local medical facilities. the Andes, Central America, Mexico, and even the geographically located within Latin America and One particular church had the dream to be Latin America diaspora in South and Southwest the Caribbean and provides the seed bank and a training center that will teach others about Florida. The Latin American/Caribbean region has many training opportunities for those working agriculture. They are interested in ECHO’s about 2,400 ECHO Community members. We are with small-scale farmers in the region. help to share expertise through workshops inclusive of many cultures, different languages, about livestock management, especially pig and many different types of partnerships with GF – Which countries did you visit on your first production and biogas. local organizations. Regional partners seek trip as the regional team leader? technical advice, trainings, seeds, GF – Besides hands-on trainings and and opportunities to connect CG – I spent about one week publications, what else do the partners in with other members of the ECHO “Any innovations in each country in Honduras, your region need? community. that improve and Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Cuba. In Nicaragua, we visited CG – A big need is finding who else in Libby Arcia (the region’s program diversify crops partners that promote the your country or region is doing similar and coordinator) and I are native Biointensive Method for and incomes help complementary projects. Helping people Spanish speakers, which is the food production and soil network is important and ECHOcommunity majority language in the region. farmers become conservation. They have a has developed tools for connecting people We are focused on providing more demonstration area at the more resilient.” and organizations with similar interests. We publications and advising services National Agriculture University. also need to distribute publications to groups in Spanish. ECHO also has a long This partner would like ECHO’s that don’t have reliable internet. We at ECHO history of working in Haiti and our colleague, Brian assistance with training in seed saving and seed freely share our information; we share our Flanagan who grew up in Haiti and speaks Creole, banking to better serve their members and publications through flash drives and other helps with connecting to partners there. communities. offline means. GF – How is your region different from the other In Honduras, I was hosted by the director of the Our goal is to connect to people where they Regional Impact Centers and how does that horticulture innovation lab at Zamorano University. are serving and help them help others. These affect the programming you offer? Zamorano has about 12,300 acres of property to church members and leaders are the future of impart practical hands-on teaching in all areas of ECHO’s mission and will soon be multiplying CG – Impact centers are relatively autonomous and sustainable agriculture. They focus on the needs ECHO’s training and resources across Cuba. have the flexibility to be responsive to the needs of smallholder farmers and how they can adapt to of their regions. Some regions have agricultural a changing climate. Their philosophy aligns with extension services and some don’t. Some have ECHO at the practical level. Any innovations that Right: Farmers in Cuba host ECHO staff members issues with seed availability which affects food improve and diversify crops and incomes help at their small farms, expressing their desire to security. Some regions are arid and need irrigation farmers become more resilient. bless their Cuban neighbors with food. what’s happening at ECHO

Invasive Weed Harms Livelihoods A women’s group in Tanzania invited ECHO to share about parthenium, an invasive weed dangerous to crops and livestock, their primary sources of income. The presentation included how to safely uproot the weed. The women were so interested and concerned that they invited us to come back again.

Curious Calves

Eggplant grafting seminar at ECHO Asia’s Agricultural and Community Development Conference, Thailand. #improvinglives2017 ECHO-Florida held its first seed banking workshop in 2017 with attendees representing global efforts in locations such as Haiti, Mozambique, Ghana, Liberia, and Central America. Joy Longfellow, former intern and current employee of Johnny’s Seeds, was a special guest and shared expertise related to crop #echofightshunger breeding and other topics. The workshop concluded with the first seed swap exercise conducted on the Florida campus. These attendees are winnowing Calves, Musa (white and black) and Jemma (brown), enjoy seeds in the new seed demonstration barn. Read more about it on page 9. rotational grazing spaces at ECHO-Florida. Laussane Conference in Taiwan Trainings Across West Africa

Follow us on Instagram for pictures of ECHO’s work all around the world. #echofightshunger ECHO Staff members Abram Bicksler, Bruce Wilson, and Boonsong Thansrithong (Toh) Left: In November, the ECHO West Africa team trained parents of school children to plant and care for a garden in the village at the Laussane Conference in Taiwan, sharing resources and expertise to assist in school. Right: While being trained on drip irrigation, Bernard Sié Kansié (Promesse) was asked, on the spot, to share his expertise caring for God’s creation and developing sustainable hunger solutions. in gardening techniques and creating liquid fertilizer.

ECHO News 7 January 2018 ECHO News 8 January 2018 Seed saving can be life-saving “Seeds in a Container” An agricultural leader learns to increase availability of seed for her community. Improved Training Space at the by Emma Nichols ECHO Global Farm in Florida Seed saving is of particular interest for Debra Kiliru. different parts of the world and the U.S., and to share How can a community create a source of organic experiences and teach each other,” she explained. seed while trying to establish sustainable agricultural “And getting a chance to see the ECHO seed bank was With the completion of the Seed Bank renovations practices? invaluable in thinking through how I could make the last year, including a walk-in cooler that has greatly learning applicable to my context.” increased the efficiency and storage conditions of our In her exploration for a solution, she came across seeds, the Agriculture Department leadership was left the “Seed Saving” training at ECHO’s Global Farm in Kiliru particularly enjoyed a section of the training Not letting anything go to waste, the 20-year-old with a refrigerated shipping container and a question: Fort Myers. “When I saw this class advertised, I knew on seed multiplication, harvesting, processing, and refrigerated container is now cooled by a “coolbot” “How can we demonstrate village-level seed-saving I needed to go,” she said. She has since become a storage. This seemed to be a step in the right direction computer that tricks an air conditioner into cooling lower technologies while still meeting the demand of our member of the ECHO online community, learning and for her work in Ghana. She hopes to incorporate a than a typical room would be cooled. This keeps the seed-sending ministry? Out of this question, Tim Watkins, exchanging techniques through forums. The five-day seed saving or seed banking component to the youth temperature and humidity at the necessary level to store head of Agriculture Operations worked with the team to training opened up a whole new community of like- agriculture programs at Youth PLANT, to make seeds seeds long-term. Storage techniques such as a vacuum design a multi-use space that would demonstrate simple, minded people across the country working towards more available and their harvesting more sustainable. machine made from a simple bicycle pump removes affordable seed-saving technologies and create room to the same goal—sustainable and accessible seed. the oxygen from their storage containers allowing seed dry and process seeds that would be reproducible in any These savers to keep seeds longer, and with less loss. village around the world. Growing up in Kenya, Kiliru became involved in techniques “...the ECHO Seed Bank sustainable agriculture and holistic health, and has Kiliru gained And on some days, the Seed Barn is full of students, drying, On any given day in dry season, bunches of grain crops since traveled around the world doing this work— at the ECHO was invaluable in sorting, winnowing, and processing seeds. The hum and such as amaranth, sorghum, or quinoa can be found particularly in parts of Africa. Kiliru recently returned Seed-Saving chatter of these groups is exciting and full of hope. Seed- thinking through drying on racks. Pods of various other crops can be from living in Ghana since 2012, where she worked training saving techniques will go out from ECHO seed banks found on the mesh drying tables or the on the raised with organic farmers and helped start a farmers market not only how I could make the around the world and will be put into practice by farmers platform driven by a simple pulley system. Each of these to give the community access to organic foods. answered a and development workers, improving harvests, crop learning applicable to techniques can be reproduced almost anywhere in the specific and diversity, nutritional variety, and livelihoods. That’s a lot to world. The purpose of this space, nicknamed the “Seed She also facilitated a youth leadership and organic pestering my context.” ask from a seed barn, but by God’s grace, and through Barn” is to demonstrate techniques that a visitor or trainee agriculture program in Ghana with students from question for ECHO, almost anything can and does happen. will see and say, “I can do that.” elementary to high school age, called Youth PLANT; her work, Permaculture, Leadership, Agriculture, Nutrition, and but also opened a community of collaborators and Transformation. This program creates organic school friends at ECHO. The seed-saving skills she gained gardens that allows students to develop leadership, at this training can literally be life-saving for her Below: Students during ECHO’s Seed Saving training utilize the Seed Barn to practice multiple techniques of processing problem-solving skills, and sustainable nutrition community in Ghana. These are the lessons she hopes seed. Above: Participants highlight the values of the crops they brought for a seed exchange. practices at school. Youth PLANT partners with other to transfer to her organization leaders. organizations in the area, and is currently in schools in seven regions in Ghana. “Seeds are the Students of Youth PLANT life source of our show off their harvest! On returning to the U.S., she thought this training existence, and might just solve the issue that had pestered her. “Plus, I must be cared for had been so curious about the ECHO farm ever since I with the utmost found out about it,” she said. “Needless to say, the farm respect and exceeded my expectations.” diligence,” she said. “I left the training The interactive nature of the training with so many excited not just to others in similar fields opened up a community she keep farming, but knew existed, but had never taken advantage of. “It to become a seed was so wonderful to meet people who have worked in farmer myself.” Power in the Produce

by McKenzie Van Loh

A partnership between ECHO and a Florida food bank provides fresh food to those experiencing hunger in Southwest Florida.

Past the aisles of canned fruit, tomato soup and peanut However, Community Cooperative doesn’t stop there. butter, sits a produce shelf at Community Cooperative, a food bank and soup kitchen. This morning, the options “We find that partnering with great organizations like are slim. Potatoes, limp lettuce, and onions are taking the ECHO allows us to pass on knowledge about how to stage. sustain your life by growing your own food and utilizing the natural resources we have in our world,” Community “We haven’t put our food from ECHO on the shelf yet today,” Cooperative’s Chief Executive Officer Tracey Galloway Community Cooperative’s Director of Development and said. Marketing Stefanie Ink-Edwards said. Intern Luke Little and Farm Manager Andy Cotarelo enjoy the teamwork of Community Cooperative recently planted pulling a tree upright after Hurricane Irma hit ECHO’s Florida campus. Community Cooperative is an organization in Lee their own garden in their backyard as a way to county, Florida that aims to eliminate hunger and better pass on this knowledge and grow fresh homelessness in the region. ECHO and Community produce themselves. They provide gardening Cooperative have had a long time partnership. On classes to teach the community what the staff a weekly basis, Community Cooperative will pick members have learned from ECHO. up donated food from ECHO. The produce goes Hurricane Irma Can’t Have Our Joy into the community market, soup kitchen, meals on After learning from ECHO, Community Cooperative wheels and a mobile pantry. teaches useful skills like how to reuse rain water, how to ECHO’s resilience put to the test as hurricane-force grow plants in small spaces and how to grow things that ECHO’s produce is especially noticeable in the community are inexpensive to grow and easy to cook. winds toppled trees and research plantings. market. Families walk through and choose their own food off the shelves instead of being sent a box of food ECHO is proud to serve our local community, whether they may not like. On days when fresh produce is not it’s sharing knowledge to grow food, or the joy of eating On September 11th, the sun rose over an ECHO-Florida the upper Midwest, and other parts of Florida. We received available, families have very few options. By partnering tasty, fresh foods when it fills the produce shelf, arrives at campus littered with scores of downed trees, plants stripped encouraging reminders of the impact and blessing that with ECHO and other local growers, the community their doorstep or is served in a hot meal. of their leaves, and a complete absence of electricity. Once ECHO has been in the lives of people around the world. There market is able to help community market “shoppers” add we had absorbed the obvious devastation of Hurricane were treasured assurances of prayers on our behalf. fresh vegetables to their diets. Irma, we began to see that there was also much we had to be thankful for: the days of hurricane preparation had paid- By the beginning of November, most of the ECHO-Florida off; our staff and their families were all safe; none of ECHO’s campus had been transformed! The efforts of over 250 ECHO donates over one ton of produce each year to Community Cooperative. buildings had sustained serious damage; and, all of our farm volunteers, along with more than 4,000 hours of staff- Their community market brims with ECHO produce each week for clients to take animals had survived. time, achieved what had hardly seemed possible. And the home free of charge. generous gifts of 599 people fully covered all of the Irma- The temporary inconveniences associated with the absence related costs! of electricity – potentially unsafe water, non-functioning toilets, spoiled food, and insufferable heat from which there was no relief – all served to fuel our eagerness to extend our IRMA SNAPSHOT • BY THE NUMBERS service to the majority of our world’s people for whom our ‘inconveniences’ are persistent daily challenges. • No power on campus for 8 days, no internet for And so, we set to work, shoulder-to-sweaty-shoulder in the 11 days, some buildings were without power 90-degree heat. Exposed trees were “painted”, chainsaws for 16 days were buzzing, tractors were throttled-up, roads were cleared, • Farm staff documented over 60 large trees thawing food was salvaged from freezers, camping stoves blown down and removed were fired-up, and port-a- johns were procured. Volunteers • Over 105 shrubs to mid-size trees blown over began to arrive...from across the Atlantic, from New England, ECHO News 11 January 2018 ECHO News 12 January 2018 and staked upright Planned Giving Recipe: Corner Intern Spotlight Slow Cooker What can I realistically do now? It’s natural to wonder this when juggling expenses and Evan Neubacher Pumpkin Soup taking care of family members, while also desiring to make a lasting, legacy impact. If providing sustainable hunger solutions with ECHO is something you want to be part My name is Evan Neubacher and I currently man the Urban creation, from microorganisms to trees to animals, depend of for decades to come, Beneficiary Designations are one Garden intern position. I have come to ECHO after working on each other to have a healthy and productive ecosystem. Ingredients way to do that, while receiving your accounts’ benefits and for a number of years for a non-profit in microfinance and a Working closely with all the other interns and staff here, I’m distributions during your lifetime. small vegetable farm, both located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. continuing to learn that people are not exempt from this 1 medium butternut squash or seminole pumpkin Prior to that, in 2009 I completed my undergraduate degree either. With all our different gifts, passions, and backgrounds 1 small sweet potato As individuals plan for their loved ones and their favorite in economics and masters in International and Development we each add something to the farm and overall community 1 quart veggie or chicken stock charitable organizations, Beneficiary Designations of assets Economics. Agriculture has been something that has been of ECHO, allowing us to glorify God more fully. 2 tbs honey – including bank & brokerage accounts, life insurance an interest of mine for quite some time but I haven’t pursued Salt and pepper plans, 401(k)s, IRAs, and Donor Advised Funds – can direct fully until the opportunity presented itself to intern with During my time here at ECHO and other agricultural 1 large onion all or portions of remainders to named recipients. Multiple ECHO. experiences I have been able to see the characteristics of 1 clove garlic, crushed beneficiaries are allowed, as are Contingency Beneficiaries, God and have learned many valuable lessons that apply to Sour cream or coconut cream to serve should your primary beneficiary not survive you. I walked into this internship with a rather limited background all aspects of life. When my internship wraps up at the end of in agriculture, let alone tropical agriculture. So, for the past February, I hope to pursue my passion of working with inner Instructions These gifts can be eight months, I have been completely immersed in the city youth that come from tough family situations, through easily set up for power and awe of God’s creation. Through the help of fellow agriculture. I aspire to help these kids see the inherent value 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. free by asking for a interns, staff, and the myriad of resources ECHO has, I’ve of themselves and those around them because they are beneficiary form from been able to grow in the nuts and bolts of agriculture. More God’s creation. 2. Cut pumpkin into wedges, leaving skin on and plan administrators, than that though I’ve been able to see how all the aspects of remove seeds. HR representatives, or financial institutions. They do not require an estate 3. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into wedges. planning service nor executor. Designations can be 4. Sprinkle both with salt and pepper and drizzle reviewed or adjusted at any time for any reason should with 2 tbs of olive oil. circumstances change.

5. Place in oven and cook for 30 min. or until soft. Benefits: Beneficiary Designations can be used in place of, or in conjunction with, a Will. Beneficiary Designations 6. While cooking, chop onion into small pieces. supersede designations named in a Will, should a donor 7. Add chicken stock, honey, and onion to slow have both. Designations named to a 501(c)3 organization cooker. like ECHO would be tax free, whereas portions to heirs other than spouses would be taxed. For information 8. Remove pumpkin and sweet potato from oven. on your Beneficiary Designations, contact your asset Remove flesh of pumpkin from skin and add administrators. To learn more about Planned Gifts to ECHO, sweet potato and pumpkin to slow cooker. contact us at 239.567.3319 or visit http://echonet.org/gift- options. 9. Cook for 4 hours on low. Even with our world’s fluctuating conditions, ECHO will 10. Blend mixture with a hand blender or food continue its mission: following Jesus by reducing hunger processor until smooth. and improving lives worldwide through partnerships that 11. Serve with crusty bread and a dollop of sour equip people with agricultural resources and skills. cream or coconut cream. Evan Neubacher, Urban Garden Intern

ECHO News 13 January 2018 ECHO News 14 January 2018 17391 Durrance Road North Fort Myers, FL 33917 239-543-3246 | www.echonet.org

in their own words...

Asian Outreach Cambodia sent a group of their Cambodian and US staff members to ECHO Asia’s Improving Lives Conference to learn and grow together. Pictured right, the team took a photo with ECHO’s Abram Bicksler.

“Here we learned new grafting techniques for tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers, soil improvement strategies, chicken-raising techniques and how to improve yields using high quality seeds. We got to see these techniques in action ECHO Fights Hunger! Learn How Here: - YouTube on field trips as part of the conference. It http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiKy4LvIKR4 was an amazing week.”

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