ECHO was a pretty cool place! I thought it would be a little boring when I first heard about it because how interesting could growing plants honestly be? But to my surprise, I learned a lot more than I expected. And I really enjoyed learning about the Maringa plant/tree. I told my boyfriend about it and he wants to plant one in his backyard now!
I also thought it was very interesting how they had all the simulated environments for different climates. I wouldn’t think that would be possible here in Florida since it is pretty much always scorching hot outside, but I guess with all of their ideas and simple technology, it is possible. What I saw there didn’t really fit with what I imagine “American” agriculture to be. I think of large scale industrial or commercial farming with thousands of acres of land devoted to only a few crops. I think of animals kept in small pens or cages with no room to really go anywhere. So it is safe to say that what I saw at ECHO was very different from my ideas of “American” agriculture.
I believe that what ECHO is doing is extremely relevant to the developing countries around the world. There are so many people who need to learn sustainable ways of farming to support themselves and their families. With simple technology and easy to learn ideas, ECHO makes it possible to teach others that it is possible to grow something in just about every climate. I think “appropriate technology” is just what ECHO looks into; technology that fits a certain climate or area as well as the people in that area. The technology can’t be something too expensive or crafty to build because a lot of the time people don’t have those resources. So ECHO has come up with some great solutions for people all over the world.
I think it would be pretty fun to do my service learning at ECHO because they stand for a great cause and help hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people all over the world. It would feel good to be able to help do something that I know will directly affect the lives of others in such a meaningful way as sustaining life.
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