ECHO Field Trip

I found the ECHO organization to be very interesting and effective. I like that they use the saying "give a man a fish he will eat for a day, teach him how to fish he will eat for the rest of his life." I think this is important for developing countries. I found our guide to be very informative and she seemed to really care and want to make a difference; something that is important in all non-profit organizations.

ECHO bases their food production off of sustainability and what is right for certain environments. For example, ECHO sends seed samples to certain parts of the world to make sure the plants will grow rather than have the people plant an immense amount of seeds only for the crop to go to waste. ECHO also stressed the importance of using the environment in which people live. For example, countries that get a lot of sunlight can create safe drinking water by placing it in the sun. For people who live in urban cities, they can grow crops on the roof where the sunlight hits the most. In countries where bamboo is native, it can be used to build houses and buildings due to its strong durability. Animals can also be important resources. For example, in developing countries one goat can be a very important resource. We also learned about the use of ducks and their waste to feed tilapia. The ECHO field trip allowed me to see the importance of using the resources available in our country as well as the importance of teaching developing countries how to farm in environmental standards.

There are a variety of organic food available at local markets. The Cape Coral Farmers Market offers not only a variety of vegetables but seafood and plants as well. Fresh Organics SWFL also offers organic produce and eggs.