ECHOcommunity Updates
ECHO International Agriculture Conference - ONLINE November 19th! 2020-11-02
The 2020 International Agriculture Conference will feature leading voices in various aspects of agricultural development—practitioners, scientists, and community leaders. Content will be presented in plenary and concurrent breakout sessions, with ample opportunities to network with each other, as past participants have come to know and expect.
EDN #149 Now Available 2020-10-16
In this issue:
- Farmer-Centered Climate Change Mitigation: Part 2 of 2
- From ECHO's Seed Bank: How Seeds from ECHO Grew in a Dry-Season Garden in Uganda
- Echoes from our Network: Grafting Tamarillo and Other Solanaceous Crops for Nematode Resistance
- Books, Websites, and Other Resources: AT Fair Summary
- Upcoming Event: ECHO International Agriculture Conference - ONLINE EVENT
Farmer-Centered Climate Change Mitigation
Tim Motis
Excerpt:
How can smallholder farmers help mitigate against climate change? An article in EDN 148 described principles on which the strategies presented in this follow-up article are based. Key to any agricultural approach for dealing with climate change is dialogue with farmers, whose knowledge, experience, and participation are critical for success. In our conversations, we should distinguish between adaptation and mitigation. Adaptation strategies increase farmers’ resilience and reduce their vulnerability to loss. Mitigation strategies directly reduce the causes of climate change. Some farming practices are helpful both for adaptation and for mitigation.
Asia Note #43 Now Available! 2020-08-31
Featured in this AN
- Mycorrhizal Fungi - Our Tiny Underground Allies
- Tomato Grafting in Southeast Asia: A Useful Technique for Rainy Season Production
- Recent Asia Note Links
- ECHO Upcoming Events
- Subscribe to ECHO Asia's YouTube Channel
- Ways to stay connected
Nuevo Nota Técnica Ahora Disponible: Banco de semilla con sacos de tierra 2020-08-13
Descargar TN#96 (PDF) Leer TN#96 en líne
En el trabajo de desarrollo agrícola la conservación de la semilla en un tema de importancia, y ECHO ha publicado muchos artículos sobre varios aspectos de técnicas para el almacenamiento de semilla, tecnologías apropiadas, e intercambio de semillas. ECHOcommunity.org alberga varios recursos relacionados con la construcción con sacos de tierra, el con sacos de tierra, de semilla y otros temas relacionados. La última adición a nuestro repertorio es una Nota Técnica sobre “Banco de semillas con sacos de tierra” que brinda una guía para construir un ambiente resistente con el fin de almacenar semillas para bancos de semilla comunitarios.
Junto con la información técnica sobre los beneficios de las estructuras de sacos de tierra, esta Nota Técnica presenta instrucciones de construcción detalladas, consejos y sugerencias para diseñar su propio banco de semillas con sacos de tierra, y una presentación de diapositivas en línea de varios aspectos del proceso de construcción realizado en el campus de ECHO Florida de nuestra propia estructura.
Finalmente, la sección “Lecturas adicionales” ofrece una gama de recursos que le ayudarán a determinar si un banco de semillas con sacos de tierra es adecuado para sus necesidades y contexto. ¡Como siempre, ECHOcommunity Conversations es un excelente lugar para discutir con colegas miembros de la red ideas y preguntas que usted pueda tener sobre bancos de semilla con sacos de tierra, bancos de semilla comunitarios u otros temas!
EDN #148 Now Available 2020-07-17
In this issue:
- Farmer-Centered Climate Change Mitigation: Part 1 of 2
- Are Crickets a Practical Source of Protein in Tropical Countries?
- From ECHO's Seed Bank: Cowpea Varieties for Warm Rainy Season
- Echoes from our Network: Emergency Gardens in a Quarantine World
- Books, Websites, and Other Resources: New ECHO Branding, New Technical Note on Earthbag Seed Banks, Restoring the Soil- Second Edition now available through Amazon.com Inc®
Farmer-Centered Climate Change Mitigation
Tim Motis
Excerpt:
ECHO recognizes climate change as a profound reality faced by small-scale farmers. Many of our publications have focused on helping farmers cope with related challenges such as heat and drought. Farmer resilience and minimal risk have been key elements of the practices we have written about over the years. We encourage “no regret” strategies, approaches that steward the land well and improve livelihoods, regardless of whether or not farmers face immediate changes to climate (Flanagan, 2015). However, we also view farmers as having an integral role in mitigating some of the driving forces of climate change—something we explore in this article, which is the first of a two-part series. Part 1 explores principles that are foundational to the strategies that we will present in Part 2, in the next issue of EDN.
New Technical Note: Earthbag Seed Banks 2020-06-29
Download TN#96 (PDF) Read TN#96 online
Seed storage in the tropics has been a frequent topic of ECHO publications and trainings due to its importance to the smallholder farmer. Access to quality seeds is imperative for agronomic and horticultural crop production. While on-farm seed saving benefits the smallholder farmer, cooperative seed storage through the creation of seed banks bolsters farmers at the community level.
Seed banks provide secure structures for seed storage, while also serving as genetic repositories for important plants in the community. Centralizing the seed saving process also allows for cooperative investment in appropriate technologies and data management. As members of a community learn these management skills, they are empowered to save seeds themselves.
Seed preservation in the tropics is rife with difficulties due to high temperatures and humidity, so investing in worthwhile storage technologies is instrumental in smallholder communities. Of course, the process of establishing a seed bank involves community buy-in, stakeholder cooperation, and resource investment. While the social elements of seed banking are important, thisTechnical Note focuses on earthbag building techniques as a resource-effective means of establishing a seed bank. ECHO has now installed earthbag seed banks at two of its global offices: one in Thailand and one in Florida. This publication will outline the benefits of earthbag seed banks, as well as how to get started with your own project.
Asia Note #42 Now Available! 2020-06-01
Featured in this Asia Note
- Words of Gratitude & Solidarity from the ECHO Asia Director
- Making On-Farm Pig Feed: Farm-Generated Formulas vs. Commercial Feeds
- ECHOs from the Network: Integrated Pest Management on the Island of Bali
- ECHOs from the Network: Coffee Drying ‘Bunk-Beds’ for Vegetable Production
- Recent Asia Note links
- ECHO Asia Upcoming Events
- ECHO Asia Covid-19 Response
- Call for Articles & Insights
EDN #147 Now Available 2020-04-14
In this issue:
- Responding in the Case of an Epidemic or Pandemic
- A Tip of the Hat to the Tippy Tap
- Promoting Biodiversity on Maize Smallholdings
- From ECHO's Seed Bank: Fast-Growing Plants for Household Food Supply
- Echoes from Our Network: 100-fold gardens in Honduras
- Books, Web Sites, and Other Resources: A Post-Program Review of Grain Amaranth in East Africa
Responding in the Case of an Epidemic or Pandemic
Dawn Berkelaar
Excerpt:
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been making its way around the world in the past weeks and months. The effects of this disease will almost certainly be felt by every community. Countries, where the infection is already well-established, have found it difficult to manage. Coping with a pandemic like this is particularly challenging in places with high population densities, lack of infrastructure, malnutrition, and incidence of other infections that leave people’s immune systems more vulnerable. Here are a few suggestions for ways to respond well in your community to the presence of a highly contagious disease.
ECHOcommunity Member Spotlight: Mr. Tuntun and Thaung Si 2020-04-08
As I walk the farm with Mr. Tuntun in rural Myanmar, I can’t help but smile as he proudly shows me the biochar he now makes and uses in his potting mix for his fruit tree seedlings. Instead of burning, he now turns his organic waste material from the farm into a valuable resource that can be used to produce more crops, instead of losing his carbon to the atmosphere through smoke.
About one year ago, Mr. Tuntun attended a Seed Saving Workshop in Pyin Oo Lwin and learned how to make biochar during one of the hands-on sessions. He immediately returned home and tried it for himself, and has been very successful. Mr. Tuntun now even hosts a facebook page where he shares his farming techniques with other Burmese-speaking farmers, explaining practices like biochar, among others!
Career Opportunity: ECHO Asia Seed Bank Supervisor 2020-04-03
The primary purpose of this role is to lead and coordinate effective operations of the ECHO Asia Seed Bank according to the goals and objectives of the Asia Regional Impact Center. Housed at the ECHO Asia Farm, the Seed Bank primarily serves the needs of network members, as well as other like-minded organizations and individuals operating in the Asia region.