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North America Regional Resources

About the Impact Center

ECHO NA DroneThe mission and purpose of ECHO North America Regional Impact Center (North America RIC) is to equip small-scale farmers, missionaries, and development workers worldwide to combat hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Here at ECHO North America, individuals are trained with practical and cost-effective ways to reduce hunger through agricultural practices.

Upcoming Events:

See our 2024 and 2025 Training Calendars below to save the dates and join us for upcoming trainings and conference!

ECHO North America 2025 Trainings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connect With Us Through

 

  • Conference: The plenary speakers, breakout sessions and workshops provide opportunities for learning with others devoted to eradicating hunger and improving lives through agriculture, clean water, and community development. Speakers share their agricultural challenges and successes, personal experiences, and transferrable principles for improving the lives of millions facing food insecurity daily. The highlight is networking with like-minded practitioners, researchers, and educators. 
    • Join us at our 2025 conference from November 11-13.
    • Reach us at conference@echonet.org if you have additional questions about conference

 

  • Farm Tours: We currently have two tours that take place on the farm: ECHO Global Farm Tour and ECHO Appropriate Technology Village Tour. During the Global Farm Tour you’ll experience farming at its most creative, with unique demonstrations, plants, and techniques being used to help farmers and urban gardeners in developing countries. During the Appropriate Technology Tour you’ll discover how simple technologies can improve food, water, and shelter for millions of people. These technologies include transforming sand into water filters, manure into energy, and bicycles into power tools. For more information or to schedule a tour please use the links provided: 

 

  • Seed Bank: The goal of the ECHO Global Seed Bank is to serve as a resource for development workers who wish to experiment with underutilized crops as they work to improve the lives of small scale farmers and gardeners. The seed bank maintains a collection of hard-to-find seeds that thrive under the often difficult growing conditions of the tropics and sub-tropics.

 

  • Internships: Our 1-year internship equips college graduates with the academic theory and practical skills related to agriculture and community development. This year helps prepare interns to serve as international missionaries and development workers. Upon successful completion, they receive a Certificate in Tropical Agriculture Development. After 1 year at ECHO, interns may have the opportunity to participate in a 6-month field experience at one of ECHO’s Regional Impact Centers.

 

 

Services

  • Host trainings to gain applicable agricultural knowledge and skill to better serve others in need
  • Host annual conferences to share agricultural knowledge and build network connections
  • ECHO seed bank provides packaged seeds to network members in need
  • Provide garden and agricultural displays for different terrains found world-wide
  • Offer technical responses to agriculture questions to network members through ECHOcommunity.org
  • Give farm tours to interested guests to learn more about ECHO's mission and the fight against hunger

Contact:

Dr. Grace Miller

Dr. Grace Miller

Phone Number

239-567-3375

Email Address

gmiller@echonet.org

NorthAmerica@ECHOcommunity.org

Physical Address

ECHO North America Regional Impact Center

17391 Durrance Rd.

North Fort Myers, FL 33917

North America Updates

Underutilized Crops Symposium: Register Today! 2025-02-24

Fort Myers, FL | October 20-24, 2025

ECHO is partnering with the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) to host a four-day symposium centered on underutilized plant species. Beyond the few staple grains that supply most of the world’s food lies a host of plant species that are largely neglected. Among them are fruits, agroforestry species, green manure/cover crops, leafy greens, fuelwood species, animal forage and fodder species, and plants that provide ecological services such as erosion control. Advancing our knowledge of these plants is vital to creating food and agroecosystems that thrive under challenging growing conditions and changing climates. Join us at this symposium to grow your knowledge around these underutilized crops!

Save my spot!

ECHOcommunity Updates [ Read all ]
Upcoming Spring Trainings
Speaker Highlight: Robert Morris/Registration Closing Soon

Upcoming events: North America

TOT with Global CHE Network (March)
Mon, 24 March 2025 » Fri, 28 March 2025

ECHO North America, United States

Those interested in preparing for short/long-term involvement in community and agricultural development internationally are encouraged to participate in this five-day (35 hours) training course. Course participants will gain an introduction to aspects of poverty and community development and an orientation to ECHO. They will also receive instruction on proven community development, including agricultural principles/practices and practical techniques, systems and technologies to meet wholi...

ECHO North America: TAD II: Food Forests, Garden Design and Planning
Mon, 7 April 2025 » Fri, 11 April 2025

ECHO North America, United States

This is a five day, hands-on course that will focus on food forests and garden design. By taking this course you will learn how to design and start a food forest in your own backyard. Participants will walk through the design process with professional designers, starting from setting goals, surveying the piece of land, building a base map, considering earthworks, and creatively designing around constraints. Attendees will be able to see and apply these principles to a small garden or a lar...

ECHO North America: July 2025 Bundle & Save TAD I & TAD II
Mon, 7 July 2025 » Fri, 18 July 2025

ECHO North America, United States

July 2025, ECHO North America will be hosting back-to-back trainings for TAD I and TAD II! Introduction to Tropical Agriculture Development (TAD I) will be July 7-11! For more details that relate specifically to this training please use this link for more information. TAD II: Syntropic Agroforestry will be July 15-18! For more details that relate specifically to this training please use this link for more information.   You can Register for BOTH events for a reduced cost per train...

ECHO North America: Introduction to Tropical Agriculture Development - July 2025
Mon, 7 July 2025 » Fri, 11 July 2025

ECHO North America, United States

Those interested in preparing for short to long-term involvement in international agriculture development are encouraged to participate in this five-day course.  Topics and discussions will focus on improved food security and agricultural livelihoods for small-scale farmers in developing countries.  Participants will be introduced to the complexities related to poverty and community development.  They will also be introduced to principles and practices that contribute toward maintaining h...

ECHO North America: TAD II - Syntropic Agroforestry July 2025
Tue, 15 July 2025 » Fri, 18 July 2025

ECHO North America, United States

Introduction to Syntropic Agriculture This is an interactive 4-day agroforestry training session.  Learn how to cultivate abundant food and timber in a system that mimics a natural forest.  Syntropic farming is a method inspired by Ernst Götsch. This course will cover the principles and practices needed for a beginner to plant his/her own agroforest.  Basic design and management skills will also be taught.  An attendee can expect to return home with enough knowledge to produce a couple ...

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