Two years after Hurricane Irma

The Winds of Change

Two years after Hurricane Irma, ECHO has made a full recovery and is using the knowledge gained to equip others.

On a tour of ECHO Global Farm, you may notice blotches of white coating the trunks of trees. At first glance, this appears to be a natural mossy growth. But look closer and you’ll see that it’s actually latex house paint. 

On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma tore its way through Florida. And ECHO was right in the path. When the wind died down, we began to see how God spared us from damage to many of our buildings, but the Global Farm did not fare as well. Mango and avocado trees laid uprooted on the ground. Bamboo stalks and palm fronds scattered the paths. Head of Agricultural Operations Tim Watkins estimated that 100 to 120 trees were victim to the winds. 

ECHO staff and volunteers worked immediately to restore the farm. They covered exposed trunks with detached tree branches and palm fronds and shielded unprotected roots with soil, burlap, and tarps. Thanks to hundreds of generous donors, we were able to quickly procure the resources that we needed to care for our downed trees. Volunteers came to serve, some from as far as Maryland. 

“The key is to fix it right away” Watkins said. “Trees are more likely to recover if you work quickly.” 

The team worked towards a more permanent recovery including painting trunks with white latex house paint. They lifted larger trees with tractors and installed steel pipes for support, allowing the roots to regrow. 

One year later, they removed the posts. The trees were healed. 

Much like the pipes, ECHO provides support in the form of training and education so small-scale farmers and their families can sustain themselves. 

Irma left its mark on ECHO in the form of white tree trunks, scars of missing branches, and less shade. But every blemish is a reminder that, with enough support, everything can recover.

“Just one month after the storm, ECHO held three workshops that focused on the same hurricane recovery techniques used to repair the farm. ”

ECHO took the damage left by Irma and turned it into knowledge. Just one month after the storm, ECHO held three workshops that focused on the same hurricane recovery techniques used to repair the farm. Later that year, ECHO staff taught a workshop at our annual international agriculture conference focusing on lessons learned during the storm.

Since Irma, ECHO has continued to work towards protecting itself from the next storm by installing metal shutters to protect windows.

 “We’re in a better place for the next event,” Watkins said.

Irma is a story of destruction and recovery. Of damage and growth. The winds may have uprooted trees and snapped branches, but ECHO’s foundation stayed strong. And the final result, like the goal of ECHO’s mission, was knowledge for the future.

Last week, we put that knowledge to use. As Hurricane Dorian pointed it’s path toward the Florida peninsula the ECHO staff watched carefully and put a plan in place. Though we were spared as the hurricane turned, our hearts go out to all those in the Bahamas facing devastating destruction. 

You can read more about the initial recovery stages from Irma and lessons learned HERE:

What can you do to help small-scale farmers find the seeds they need?

In many countries, laws governing the transportation of seeds across borders the are becoming more restrictive. This is especially important, as small-scale farmers need access to reliable seeds, which may not be available in their local markets. One solution is to establish local seed banks or seed libraries. But how does one begin to produce, save, and use seed in order to make good-quality, local, and open-pollinated varieties available to their community? ECHO’s upcoming course, Small-Scale Seed Production and Utilization, aims to equip practitioners who are interested in seed saving and banking.

Right now you can get $100 off the registration cost (offer ends Friday. August 15th)!

Normally $645 for the week, if you use the promo code MBEGU (“seed” in Swahili), you will receive a $100 discount on the cost of registration. This registration fee includes cost of housing and food from Sunday evening arrival to Saturday noon departure, as well as course materials and 40+ hours of instruction.

What’s in a week-long ECHO course?

Those staying on campus will, arrive Sunday evening and enjoy the fully furnished guest housing with a full-sized kitchen stocked with snacks and breakfast items. The course begins Monday morning and ends Friday afternoon, with lunch and dinner provided each day by our Hospitality team.

ECHO has seed banks in Thailand (pictured here), Tanzania, and Florida.

Each day usually begins at 8:30 am, with a lunch break from 12 to 1:30 pm, and ends around 5 pm.

Our trainings are designed to be accessible and practical regardless of education or experience. Come learn about saving and growing your own seed to benefit communities internationally or here in the U.S., this training will equip you.

Ready to register? Click here. Don’t forget to use MBEGU for your discount!

If you have questions, please contact study@echonet.org

Unpacking the “Why” of an ECHO Field Experience

The hard outer shell of my opened suitcase made a loud clap against my room’s tile floor. I glanced at the clothes laid out on my bed waiting to be packed. Clean and neatly folded, they seemed to be proud of themselves for having had what it takes to be the few items selected for my trip. Soon, they’d be in Asia. 

“Soon after packing, I’d be en route to a view of billowy, green rice fields and distant tropical mountains. ”

I had lived in my dorm-style room of the girls’ intern house for about a year at ECHO, in southwest Florida. The unique sound of bamboo leaves and palm fronds rustling in the humid breeze outside my window had grown familiar to me. My 14-month agricultural internship had finished, and a 6-month field experience awaited at ECHO’s Regional Impact Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Soon after packing, I’d be en route to a view of billowy, green rice fields and distant tropical mountains. I wondered what window sounds I would hear outside my new room.

The sight of my soon-to-be-filled suitcase invited my mind to reflect on the past year as well as ponder the coming months. What did I learn during my internship in Florida? Why did I want to work with the ECHO Asia staff for 6 months? What unspoken expectations brewed under the surface for my upcoming field experience?

“I pictured this season of life as a suitcase being packed by God’s divine, all-knowing hands for unknown future opportunities, challenges, and responsibilities I would eventually encounter. ”

These swirling questions gradually landed on a few tangible answers. I pictured this season of life as a suitcase being packed by God’s divine, all-knowing hands for unknown future opportunities, challenges, and responsibilities I would eventually encounter. Through interning with ECHO in Florida, I was entrusted with practical experience in tropical small-scale farming, a flourishing network of friends and colleagues, instruction in community development, and practice in participatory training methods. The allure of cultivating these skills through a 6-month field experience overseas was deeply personal as well as communal. 

For myself, I was eager to integrate what God had already packed into my suitcase through the ECHO internship, past cross-cultural experiences, and graduate studies in agriculture. My horizon glittered with the many lessons I expected to glean from working alongside the ECHO Asia team. My favorite part of this inner development process was the exciting purpose infused into it by the organization: to be an appropriate conduit of information and hope to agricultural development workers and small-scale farmers. 

Beyond personal growth, I believe in the value of bringing whatever I have to offer to serve the team I’m temporarily joining in Thailand. I agreed to step into a support role. Fittingly, my own agenda would come secondary to that of ECHO Asia. The Regional Impact Center’s staff have been established in the nuances of small-scale farming in Thailand and the surrounding region for years. They have actively developed relationships with the organization’s vast network throughout Asia. Before I knew ECHO Asia even existed, farms had been visited, agricultural trainings were conducted, questions had been asked, feedback was collected, and challenges had been overcome by their team. This perspective moved me to a humble appreciation that I was invited to run alongside this experienced staff and support their vision.

After whittling these thoughts, my motivations and expectations felt clarified. With that came a readiness to zip up my suitcase and fly out to this new chapter of learning and serving. With bags fully packed, I said a prayer for God’s guidance and left ECHO FL to begin a journey of support to ECHO Asia in their efforts to further God’s kingdom by reducing hunger and improving lives worldwide.

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To learn more about ECHO’s 14-month internship or to apply, click the button below:

Fort Myers Farm Fights World Hunger by Planting A Seed [Video]

A plant growing in North Fort Myers has the power to transform lives around the world.

Be the change by planting a seed. It is the echo of a promise made on a 55-acre farm in North Fort Myers where thousands of plants grow for changing lives.

“I love the mission,” said Mark Trask, ECHO volunteer. “I love why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

Trask said he is helping grow a difference by volunteering for ECHO. ECHO provides resources and teaches farming methods to people around the world to make them self-sustaining.

Farm Manager Andy Cotarelo said since partnering with Community Cooperative in 2013, ECHO has donated more than 7,000 pounds of produce to the Southwest Florida soup kitchen.

“We try to give them what they can use,” Cotarelo said. “We also wanted to make it available for the public. So we make that available every Friday and Saturday through our stand at the bookstore.”

Produce sold at ECHO’s farm stand helps pay for their operations and mission to send seeds around the world where they can make the most significant impact.

“One thing we’ve really strive to do is make sure the seeds we sent out are open-pollinated,” Cotarelo said. “Those are gonna be real important for farmers.”

Interested in Agricultural Missions? Become an ECHO Intern

We are now accepting Agriculture Internship applications for our January and April 2020 positions!

Are you looking to launch your agriculture or development career and work with smallholder farmers? You should consider ECHO's internship!

Since accepting its first intern in 1981, ECHO has guided the professional development of more than 250 interns. Interns gain access to a global professional network and develop lifelong friendships.

ECHO’s Internship is a paid, 14-month program. It provides an opportunity for professional and personal growth for college graduates pursuing a career in international community development, with a focus on small-scale tropical agriculture and appropriate technologies.

The internship program provides hands-on training on ECHO’s tropical demonstration farm in Florida. Interns contribute to ECHO's global ministry and develop basic skills in small-scale agriculture, animal husbandry, appropriate technology, public speaking, managing volunteers, and more. Interns also participate in seminars and field trainings in a wide range of agriculture and community development topics. ECHO will select four agriculture interns during each round of applications.

Applications will be accepted until August 12, 2019. The internship application form can be found here.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact the ECHO intern manager, Brian Flanagan.