Month: November 2021

Fueling Innovation Across Africa

At ECHO we strive to help others solve hunger-related issues through research, training, and the application of appropriate technology. Today we share the story of ECHO trainers who have impacted innovation efforts by using appropriate technology, such as rocket stoves and biogas digesters, to help improve the lives of small scale farmers across Africa.

Burundi

“A technology that is never used has an efficiency of zero.”

Craig Bielema’s quiet but confident voice echoed in my headphones as he explained his recent project modifying a rocket stove concept to help his team feed 500 kids every school day. A past ECHO Intern, Craig had also spent many years on staff at ECHO Florida, leading the Appropriate Technology department. Now, Craig and his family serve in Burundi with Mennonite Central Committee. The kitchen staff at the school have been using open fires in a small enclosed kitchen, which becomes very smoky, causing health problems for the women that cook each day. This method of cooking also consumes a large amount of wood, which is in short supply. Craig is helping them to pilot a large-scale, fuel efficient stove with a chimney to remove smoke from the kitchen, making a much healthier environment for the cooks and also to ease the burden of collecting and/or buying firewood. “In this project we sacrificed some efficiency for increased usability,” Craig explained. “In later versions of the stove, we sacrificed slightly more efficiency for reproducibility and longevity. The goal is that the technology is an improvement to the current situation, and it is used. If it is not both of those things, it is failing.”

Tanzania

In another part of Africa, Herry Charles, an ECHO trainer, is testing multiple rocket stove sizes made of mud-bricks to help share practical, hands- on experience with the farmers he teaches in Tanzania. Just like in Burundi, the bigger size accommodates larger pots and feeds groups of people, from schools to large family gatherings. Made of mud-brick and reinforced with metal, these stoves are affordable and use less fuel, and create much less smoke than the traditional 3-stone fire.

Burkina Faso

ECHO first taught about biogas in West Africa in 2010. Biogas is created by the metabolism of methane bacteria, and is comprised of methane, carbon dioxide, and less than 1% hydrogen sulfide. Simply put, biogas is the output of the natural process of turning organic residues such as manure or kitchen waste into energy and fertilizer.

Now, farmers are asking for guidance on how to make the digester larger. “We train people and they start using the biogas plant with the drum,” shared Promesse Kansie, an ECHO West Africa trainer. “The biogas digester provides many benefits — reduced smoke, cooking fuel, and garden fertilizer. It is so amazing. The main request from our trainees is to know whether we can build a larger plant to produce more gas. Ten or twelve family members can be eating together at one time.”

Sharing Knowledge Across the Continent

The beauty of ECHO’s network is that larger biogas plants are currently being tested and researched in Tanzania — and ECHO trainers are testing and sharing this knowledge.

As Craig demonstrated in Burundi, usability, reproducibility, and longevity are key features in technology innovations — at ECHO and globally. As we share knowledge resources and learn from those we serve, we are fueling innovation for small-scale farmers across Africa and around the world.

ECHO provides Hope Against Hunger through agricultural training, innovative options, and networking with community leaders and missionaries in 190+ countries. ECHO seeks to find agricultural solutions for families growing food under difficult conditions. ECHO’s international headquarters is located in Fort Myers, FL. To learn more, donate, or volunteer, visit www.echonet.org

Growth in ECHO’s Internship Program

Teamwork is at the heart of what ECHO does. Our mission is Hope Against Hunger, and to achieve this we work alongside people who are also passionate about using sustainable farming methods to fight against hunger around the globe. Through the years, interns have formed a vital part of the work that is done at ECHO Small Farm Resource Center in North America.

Equipping interns for international service is core to ECHO’s mission. Interns are immersed in hands-on experiences in the various tropical gardens, enjoying the bounty of crops that grow well and learning hard-earned lessons when a crop doesn’t pan out.

Interns also gain experience through classes, seminars, and time with each of the animals on the farm. This provides a more rounded experience with goats, pigs, chickens, and the forage bank —  after all, knowing what crops to grow to feed the animals is also important.

When we met up with interns Sarah Harding and Robert Beaty, they were cutting and tying bunches of lablab and mucuna vines and hanging them up to dry. Sarah and Robert were hot but smiling.  Working together as intern buddies on the project, they expressed how much they appreciate the teamwork, collaboration, and learning opportunities of the internship tasks. They shared that they’ve already learned about how the dried cover crops can be a rich fertilizer when mulched around future millet plants in a nearby garden plot.

We look forward to sharing updates with you in the next months and years as we see ECHO’s mission take root in the lives and futures of these passionate young people.

“We are always amazed at what God has done. We started small and worked with what we had and took each step as it came. We would never have dreamed that ECHO would become what it is today,” shared Martin Price, Founding CEO. Dr. Martin and Bonnie Price arrived at ECHO’s Fort Myers property on June 18, 1981. The internship program started later that same year with the arrival of Elise Hansen.

“ECHO’s property was flooded when I arrived, so my first official task was to assist Martin in digging drainage ditches by hand. He joked that I probably never imagined my college degree would prepare me for that job!” Elise recounts. “I became very close to Martin and Bonnie that year, as we initiated many of ECHO’s core missions, including the Seed Bank and ECHO Development Notes. I am very thankful and proud that I was part of ECHO during its first year under Martin’s leadership.”

 After retiring as CEO in 2006, Martin and Bonnie have remained members of the ECHO community. One of their great joys is reconnecting with ECHO partners from years past.

“We are thrilled to see interns take what they have learned and use it in their futures to help others in so many different ways,” shares Bonnie Price. “The interns have been a special joy in our lives!”

ECHO provides Hope Against Hunger through agricultural training, innovative options, and networking with community leaders and missionaries in 190+ countries. ECHO seeks to find agricultural solutions for families growing food under difficult conditions. ECHO works through Regional Impact Centers in Asia, East Africa, West Africa, and North America. To learn more, donate, or volunteer, visit www.echonet.org