ECHO

I really enjoyed being able to go back to ECHO for the first time since I was in  elementary school. It's amazing how much of the farm was just as I remembered it, and it was interesting to take a look at certain things again as an adult. One particular part of the tour that I remembered was the demonstration of how to use old tires as a away to pot plants, along with other similar re-purposed material being used for farming. These kind of innovations are exceedingly important for developing countries, and the demonstrations by ECHO really shows the full possibilities of improvised agricultural tools.

The work that ECHO is doing globally really impressed me as well. It's almost surprising to think that an organization with such a global outreach is headquartered right in our backyard. With the programs and initiatives that it supports worldwide, ECHO is truly doing a lot of good for the world. By showing people in developing countries methods of energy production such as the methane recapture system that we were able to examine, they are providing these individuals a chance to have a better quality of life while also allowing them to take positive action that isn't as destructive to the environment.

I was extremely happy with our trip to ECHO. To me, looking at the different farming techniques that they have and how ECHO is trying to come up with solutions for farming in difficult conditions is a lot of fun. It was amazing to me as well that ECHO was not only concerned with food diversity, but also diverse species of animals that may be more beneficial for those in developing countries. I had never seen or heard of the "vampire" chicken, and was surprised to hear that they are actually better in many cases. One thing I was definitely sure of during the trip was that there was no way that you could go on a tour without learning a lot of new ideas and farming practices.