Week 7: Can you hear my ECHO??

Recently, my colloquium class went on a field trip to the local ECHO farm, formally known as the Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization in Fort Myers, Florida.  ECHO is a non-profit Christian organization that practices effective and sustainable agriculture.  ECHO farm is not government funded. 

The Class Listening to Vic

            When we arrived to ECHO, we were greeted by our tour guide, Vic who started the tour by leading us across the street and into the farm.  As we embarked on our tour, I saw a awe-struck by the variety of different plants, fruits, and vegetables.  For example, there were surprised that there were eleven different types of lettuce!  We learned interesting facts about banana leafs including that they are brittle which can shred easily and wilt at first, then when exposed to flame they become strong and can be used to wrap food.  One of my favorite plants grown at the ECHO farm is the miracle fruits.  Miracle fruits are a type of fruit that has the amazing ability to change tastes so that sour foods taste sweet.  This was evidenced by one of our classmates when Vic asked for a volunteer to eat a Calamondin sour citrus and then rub it with the miracle fruit leaf.  My classmate shared with us that the sour fruit had changed it's sour flavor to sweet!  Later on the tour, our class made friends with the ECHO farm goat. I even got to feed the goat! Vic explained to us as our class was gathered around, that the goat was used for a zero graze unit method of goat production. This allows for easy collection of manure to use as fertilizer.  Similar this method, the duck tilapia system, takes duck waste to produces algae for tilapia in the pond.  We also learned about Zai Holes and how they prevent wastes and minimize loss by placing manure and organic matter directly into planting stations. As we finished the tour, we learned about sloping agriculture, which caught my eye in particular, because it uses hedges and slopes for agriculture to prevent soil erosion.  Another cool aspect of the ECHO farm is the rower pump in which you pump water through a rowing motion to draw water from a larger source of water.

            My trip to ECHO farm was one that I learned about the different techniques and methods that farmers can use to create a more beneficial and effective farming style.  We learned about the different innovations and information that ECHO provides farmers in third world countries.  I would love to come back to ECHO farm for another visit sometime in the near future.