Dear friends of ECHO,

Greetings once again from ECHO Global. Thank you for your interest in research that benefits smallholder farmers. This is the second ECHO Research Newsletter, the first of which went out in May. By way of reminder, with this communication we are seeking to:

• Present research-related opportunities for engagement with ECHO. 
• Facilitate the exchange of ideas and knowledge. 
• Provide updates on research happening at ECHO and across our network.

This newsletter focuses on research elements of the upcoming ECHO International Agriculture Conference [https://conference.echocommunity.org/] in Fort Myers, Florida on November 12-14, 2024. Below are research-related opportunities to participate and exchange ideas and knowledge during the conference.

Research Roundtable

Are you attending the conference and planning to arrive in Fort Myers on Monday (Nov 11)? If you’d like to “talk research” and are able to get to ECHO that day, we invite you to participate in an informal Research Roundtable from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Beyond the registration fee for the conference itself, there is no additional cost for the Research Roundtable and lunch.  When you register for the conference there will be an opportunity to indicate your interest in the Research Roundtable, which will help us plan a noon meal.
The agenda will include discussion of farmer needs that ECHO’s research network should be addressing. We would also like to talk about ways ECHO can support you in your research initiatives. Below is a recap about the date, time, and place.

Date: November 11, 2024
Time: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Location: 17391 Durrance Road, North Fort Myers, FL 33917; Turn into the first or second gate on the left and ECHO staff in the Tech Building (first gate) or Bookstore/Welcome Center (second gate) will direct you where to go. 

Posters and Proceedings

If you plan to attend the EIAC in November, please consider creating a poster or submitting content for a written proceedings. This is an excellent opportunity for students. You do not have to attend the Research Roundtable or be a conference speaker to be able to present a poster and contribute content to the conference proceedings. 

Printed posters will be displayed at the ECHO North America Regional Impact Center. There will be a time during the afternoons for poster presenters to dialog with other interested conference delegates and present a two- to three-minute oral summary of their poster. Poster presenters will be asked to submit an abstract of their poster, which will be included in the proceedings. 

Proceedings will be a compilation of poster abstracts and three-page summaries of research projects, development projects, or crop evaluations. Along with their abstract, poster presenters are welcome to submit a full three-page summary of the work represented by their poster. 

Posters and proceedings should relate to small-scale agriculture or community development. Practices and techniques presented should be those that are affordable and that can be implemented with local resources. As mentioned earlier, we are looking for posters and proceedings that fall within the following categories:

Research summaries

These reports relay information on findings learned from varying levels of experimentation. This is a good fit for scientists, graduate students, or student researchers. It is also a good fit for development practitioners to present knowledge gained from farmer field trials, observation trials conducted on project sites, or results of various surveys.

Development project summaries

This type of report is less research-oriented, presenting lessons learned from the implementation of agriculture-related development projects. For example, a report could shed light on the effectiveness of a particular development approach, crop production practice, or appropriate technology.

Crop evaluations

This is a distinct category focused on crops. Featured crops could include cereal grains, multipurpose trees, fruits, vegetables, forages, legumes, Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS), or any other category of plants found to improve the lives of farmers and gardeners. Whether the information is gleaned from a research or development project, this is a good way to share insights on how well a crop has performed or been adapted by farmers in your part of the world.

Guidelines for poster and proceedings authors can be found here:  http://edn.link/a298086

The resulting page features a green “Apply Here” button, which you can click on to tell us what you would like to present. Alternatively, simply click HERE to propose your idea for poster or proceedings content. We will review your proposal as soon as possible, let you know our response, and provide guidance as needed. Proceedings content will be edited with opportunity for your involvement and approval of a final draft. 
We look forward to connecting with you in person at Conference!
Best regards,
 
Tim Motis, Ph.D.

Tim Motis
Global Research and Publications Director
ECHO Inc.

To correspond with ideas and feedback about the topics of 
this newsletter, email publishing@echonet.org.