Mises à jour de ECHOcommunity
Annual Sugar Cane Harvest at ECHO North America Regional Impact Center 2024-03-19
Several weeks ago, we held our annual sugarcane harvest at the North America Regional Impact Center. Many staff and volunteers contributed to make for a successful 2024 harvest. Each year, this process provides interns, staff, and volunteers with the opportunity to learn how to turn raw sugarcane into a shelf-stable syrup. This year we harvested over 425 kg (938 lbs) of sugarcane which yielded 142 kg (313 lbs) of fresh juice by weight, or 134 L (35 gal) by volume. The 134 L of raw juice yielded 26.5 L (7 gal) of syrup.
While the process is relatively simple, it requires many hands when utilizing turn of the (20 th) century tools and techniques. First the sugarcane is harvested and washed, then it is pressed in a manual-powered cane mill. After the juice is collected, it is poured into a large cast iron cauldron. The juice is brought to a continuous boil and closely monitored as it slowly reduces to syrup. Upon reaching the target sugar content, the hot syrup is carefully bottled into glass jars.
Take a look at some pictures of the process!
ECHO North America TAD 1 April 2024 2024-03-12
Hurry and sign up to join us for our Introduction to Tropical Agriculture Development class at ECHO North America. Classes are April 2-5 for TAD I, if you would like to also join us the following week for TAD II: Syntropical Agroforestry (April 9-12) you can bundle and save! Click the links below for more information.
Upcoming TAD Event Opportunities in April 2024 at ECHO North America! 2024-03-05
Please join us at ECHO North America during one or both of our upcoming TAD Events. Use the links to find out more information and/or sign up for the events.
East Africa Note 12 Now Available! 2024-02-27
In this issue
- Symposium Shared Lessons, Technologies, and Experience
- Expand and Strengthen the ECHO East Africa Network Member
- Transformative Impact of Internships on Young Individuals
- Support the Mission of Work Through Partnership/Collaboration
- Upcoming Joint Symposium in Juba, South Sudan
Symposium Shared Lessons, Technologies, and Experiences
Harold Msanya
Excerpt:
Grain has been stored in underground pits in North Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years. It is currently a common practice in Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia. While underground storage pits have been in use since ancient times, they are still relatively unknown, but can be an attractive option for many. Storage pits offer the advantages of relative easy construction, low relative cost, safety from theft, good thermal insulation, and protection from moisture, rodent attack and insect infestation.
Research Update: Options for drying Moringa leaves 2024-02-20
ECHO staff have often fielded questions about ways to easily dry moringa leaves such as "Can you dry moringa leaves at room temperature?" It would be nice, especially if it’s raining outside, to be able to dry moringa leaves by simply placing them on a flat surface in your house. Will the leaves become moldy? Conditions that favor mold are high humidity and heat, combined with poor air circulation. Dr. Motis decided to try drying a handful of moringa leaves in his office since it is an air-conditioned space to see what would happen!
How do you dry moringa leaves? Please share your experience and knowledge with the wider ECHO Community!
MissionAssist shares literacy booklets through ECHOcommunity! 2024-02-13
MissionAssist produces a wide range of adult literacy booklets in four widely used languages: English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. The booklets cover a range of subjects from health and hygiene to crafts, farming, and practical issues like simple construction techniques. MissionAssist is one of the more recent ECHOcommunity partners sharing content through ECHOcommunity.org and the ECHOcommunity mobile app so that they can serve an even larger audience.
ECHO places a high value on working with partners to 'reduce the friction' of discovering relevant resources quickly by indexing appropriate scientific and technical resources within ECHOcommunity.org. We are always interested in suggestions for new topics or resources that will benefit ECHO network members. Send any observations or suggestions to submissions@echocommunity.org
Early Bird Rate Extended to Feb 9th! Introduction to Tropical Agriculture Development Course 2024-02-06
ECHO North America | North Fort Myers, Florida
Register now to take advantage of the early bird rate and save! This course covers a broad range of topics relevant to those starting in agricultural development in a tropical environment. The purpose of this class is to expose attendees to several different ideas and concepts.
April 2-5 Register Today
This course is for those interested in preparing for short to long-term involvement in international agriculture development. 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 healthy and productive soil as well as improved water management and crop production.
ECHO North America Regional Impact Center 2024 Training Calendar 2024-01-30
ECHO North America is excited to announce this year's 2024 training calendar. Please join us on the global demonstration farm this year as we learn and inspire together. Located in North Fort Myers, Florida, our training center contains 5 acres of sustainable agriculture demonstrations that act as a living classroom for people heading to the tropics. Our experienced trainers will walk you through topics related to smallholder production in the tropics, syntropic agriculture, agricultural design, and more! If you have any questions, please email study@echonet.org.
Updated Plant Information about Katuk 2024-01-23
After some questions came in from ECHO's network, our agriculture technical and seed bank staff have updated our Plant Information Sheet about kayuk (Sauropus androgynus). Katuk is a perennial green that grows well in lowland, warm regions of the subtropics and tropics. Its leaves are high in protein and taste similar to garden peas. It prefers partial shade and develops into a bushy shrub when the tips are harvested frequently.
Read the whole plant information sheet online
Note technique de ECHO 101: Brouette en bambou centrée sur la charge 2024-01-16
Une brouette standard, avec la roue à l’avant, fait peser environ la moitié du poids de la charge sur l’utilisateur. Une brouette centrée sur la charge place la roue au centre de la charge, transférant 90 % ou plus du poids sur la roue plutôt que sur l’utilisateur. Cela permet d’utiliser l’appareil pour le transport sur de longues distances sur des chemins étroits. La brouette centrée sur la charge est un modèle chinois ancien. Le chargement était placé autour et au-dessus d’une grande roue (d’environ 1 mètre de diamètre). Cela permettait aux utilisateurs de transporter de lourdes charges (y compris des passagers) sur de nombreux kilomètres sur des sentiers étroits. ECHO a mis au point un modèle miniature qui utilise une roue de bicyclette. Cette brouette centrée sur la charge, illustrée dans la figure 1 et qui fait l’objet du présent document, peut être construite avec du bambou ou d’autres matériaux disponibles localement.