ECHO Technical Notes

Protection of Plant Genetic Resources - 01.01.1998

The first section of this note focuses in on a new technology, called the ‘technology protection system’ by its developers and ‘terminator technology’ by its opponents. This technology illustrates the potential for patents to impact society at the fundamental level of food production.
The implications to humankind, especially to those producing food in the developing countries of the world, are significant; it behooves missionaries and development workers to be aware of what is happening in the area of patents and the protection of plant genetic resources. The second section provides a broader base of information on related issues such as the rights of plant breeders, seed companies, and nations in regards to plant materials.

Rooftop and Urban Gardening - 01.01.1996

What can a family do if the national unemployment rate is over 50%, wages are a dollar or two a day, prices of food are increasing and may at times be even higher than in the USA, they have neither savings nor credit and there is no governmental safety net?

For many, an option of last resort is to find a piece of land somewhere and try to grow enough to at least keep the family alive. But how does someone in an urban area with nonexistent financial resources get land to cultivate?  Often, the best option is to go beyond the frontier of where commercial agriculture has gone–essentially to some place that people with money do not want.   

Such land has many disadvantages. It is typically remote from markets, which means prices for produce are very low and agricultural inputs expensive. Often there is environmental damage when steep hillsides are cultivated or forests are cleared to make way for crops. Yields are low and uncertain due to infertile soils and unreliable rainfall. Farming in these situations is difficult!

What’s Inside:

• Shallow Bed Gardens
• Tire Gardens
• Shallow Pool Gardens
• Wick Gardens
• Urban Agriculture Resources

Chickens: Improving Small-Scale Production - 01.01.1995

Domesticated food producing animals in the world outnumber the human population, two to one. There are thousands of animal species in the world, yet, only a few have been successfully domesticated on a permanent basis and none within the last 2000 years. In fact, five species (cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, and pigs) comprise over 95% of the world's farm animals and all five1 are found in the humid lowland tropics. Of all traditional smallscale animals in the tropics, however, chickens are by far the most common --- as indeed they are worldwide.

The purpose of this paper is to help Third World families alleviate hunger and poverty by improving small-farm poultry production.

Small Farm Resource Development Project - 01.06.1993

During the course of each year a number of individuals working in community development spend some days studying and planning at ECHO. In reality their felt need is not so much for a bit more knowledge (study), but for a project plan for how they are going to proceed to help local farmers.

A number of such visitors have told me that the single most helpful thing I shared with them during their visit is the concept of the Small Farm Resource Center. The central idea is that development organizations wishing to develop projects to do with the production side of agriculture have little choice but to do their own experimentation. Although many might wish it were so, no expert can come into your community and confidently tell you what new crop or technique you can successfully use or grow. Such an expert can suggest many things to try, but seldom can one safely begin talking farmers into adopting them tomorrow. (Thankfully there are agriculture-related projects that work in any climate and serve as initial projects while varieties and production techniques are screened and adapted. Examples would be veterinary work, post-harvest handling and processing, or appropriate technology-based projects.)

Forages - 01.04.1993

If the small farm is to be a permanent source of food for its owners, it must be managed in a sound fashion that provides a constant source of nutrients, fuel, construction materials, etc. without damage to the land or its productive capacity. Forage crops are important to the small farm as one element of the production system because they can utilize lands that are not easily used for other crops, they can grow rapidly and often can be produced continuously, they serve as principal sources of feed for a number of different kind of animals, and thus indirectly as sources of meat, milk, and eggs. They are inexpensive crops to grow and usually easy to produce.  Furthermore, grasses are useful in preventing erosion, and legumes can increase the nitrogen available in the soil for other crops.

Agriculture in Times of Climate Change - 16.04.2013

Smallholder farmers and agricultural development workers are reporting changes in climate. For example, during the 2012 ECHO Agricultural Workshop in Asia, 63 attendees representing at least 25 agriculture and community development organizations from across Myanmar were polled about their observations and opinions related to climate change. The vast majority of the respondents indicated that they were not only aware of climate change, but that they had also noticed change in the local climate or weather patterns.

Climate change refers to any significant change in the measures of climate (e.g., temperature, precipitation, or wind patterns), lasting for several decades or longer (EPA Glossary of Climate Change Terms). While opinions vary as to the extent and causes of climate change, its effects are very real to smallholder farmers struggling to produce food in areas where droughts, floods and unreliable rainfall exist. With smallholders numbering about 1.8 billion, and managing 22.2 million square kilometers of the earth’s surface (Simpson and Burpee, 2012), small-scale agriculture is key to reducing hunger and mitigating against adverse effects of climate change.

Agroforestry Principles - 20.01.1992

In simplest language, agroforestry is the production of trees and of non-tree crops or animals on the same piece of land.  The crops can be grown together at the same time, can be grown in rotation, or can even be grown in separate plots when materials from one are used to benefit another.  However, this simple definition fails to take into account the integrated concepts associated with agroforestry that make this system of land management possibly the most self-sustaining and ecologically sound of any agricultural system.  Thus, a second definition of agroforestry would be the integration of trees, plants, and animals in conservative, long-term, productive systems.  Agroforestry can be considered more as an approach than as a single, finished technology.  Although several finished systems have been devised and tested, such technology may require adjustment for particular situations.  The flexibility of the agroforestry approach is one of its advantages.

What’s Inside:

• Rationale for Agroforesty
• Definitions of Terms
• Benefits of Agroforestry
• Components of Agroforestry
• Starting an Agroforestry System
• Sources of Seed and Information
• Photos of Principle Tree Species

Onions in the Tropics and Subtropics - 01.01.1992

A case could be made that onions are one of two universal vegetables that are cherished in almost every culture, tomatoes being the other. Both are difficult to grow in many tropical and subtropical climates. Where a vegetable is both popular and difficult to grow, it brings a good price. If a way can be found to grow that crop, both local farmers and consumers benefit. While attending a horticulture conference in Honduras, Scott Sherman and I had an opportunity to visit with onion specialist and international consultant, Dr. Lesley Currah. She travels the world working with onion researchers.

Living Fence - 01.01.1991

There are several reasons for establishing fences on the small farm. Fences are used to:

1. To mark boundary lines between farms or next to roads.
2. To separate adjacent fields used for distinct purposes
3. To protect and keep animals from straying
4. To protect crops from animal damage

A fence represents a major investment on the small farm. Although it carries a cost, it also provides something of benefit, namely protection. It is often a challenge to small farmers to increase farm production, such as crop yield, and the use of fences can facilitate such improvements. Whereas a fence may facilitate yield increase on the farm, a living fence can improve the efficiency of the production as well.

“Major” fences are usually constructed of poles and wire. “Minor” fences, such as those used for fencing small animals or kitchen gardens, may be constructed entirely of wood, or of a combination of materials, such as poles, slats, and woven or welded wire. Both major and minor fences may be constructed of living posts, reducing initial costs of the fence. Additionally, living posts last longer than wooden (dead) ones, thereby reducing maintenance costs as well.

Living fences are commonly used in a wide range of ecological situations, from semi-arid to rain forest conditions. Suitable plant materials are available for almost all ecological regions and conditions.

What’s Inside:

• Benefits
• Disadvantages
• Establishment and Care
• Species for Living Fences

Guinea Pigs for Meat Production - 01.01.1991

The high protein and high concentration of B vitamins found in meat make it an ideal part of the diet, very difficult to replace by plant foods, even with grain legumes that are nutritionally the closest plant foods to meat. Yet production of meat on the small farm almost dictates a way of life with several disadvantages. If small animals are raised in pens they usually require purchased concentrates or grains used for the family, at least as part of the diet. If allowed to roam freely they make it impossible to maintain a dooryard vegetable garden, and make good hygiene difficult. Furthermore, if the family cannot eat the entire animal at one meal, refrigeration is required or other preservation techniques.

The guinea pig or cavy, Cavia porcellus, is a rodent that was domesticated in the Andes as a source of meat. Because it is a small animal it can be eaten by a small family in one meal and does not require refrigeration. It is herbivorous and becomes accustomed to many sorts of feed. The meat is much like rabbit, and is low in fat content. Furthermore, the cavy multiplies rapidly, but not at the rate that folk literature would suggest. With breeding as recommended here, one pair of cavies could produce about 260 new pairs in 2 years.