ECHO Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization Networking Global Hunger Solutions

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ECHO Educational Concerns for Hunger
Organization Networking Global Hunger
Solutions
http//echonet.org
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My first day at the ECHO Global Farm, I meet with
Danny Blank. Danny has just finished exporting
400 plants to Mozambique. He explains the process
to me. First the paperwork is filed and
processed. After all the inspections and
approvals
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all 400 plants had to be barerooted, dipped and
bagged. Despite the many ECHO hands, It took
three days to prepare all of the plants for their
plane trip.
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When the plants arrived in Mozambique, it was
winter there. A temporary greenhouse was built to
house the plants until warmer weather. A fire is
stoked in the greenhouse.
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An ECHO guide demonstrates what to do when you
dont have a hardware store down the street. This
level is made of bamboo, rope and a rock.
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Here he shows us how to turn on an inexpensive
sprinkler system. This hose has wood screws
screwed into it. When you back off the screw, you
get a fine spray right where you want it. When
you turn it off, you get water where you might
not want it. This method works with bamboo too!
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Sand is used to filter water from a nearby pond.
Crushed Moringa seeds also clarify and purify
water.
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Rubber washers and an old tire are used to crank
water up from the pond.
Or you can draw the water up with a handy treadle
pump available on the Internet at www.ideorg.org.
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Now heres a handy contraption. Its called a
Biogas Digester. You fill it with manure slurry
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Micro-organisms break down the manure as it
passes through baffles in the conjoined barrels.
Water in the tank below attracts the carbon
monoxide waste and turns it into carbonic acid.
Methane gas waste is stored in an inner tube. A
gas stove is attached to the inner tube. This
Biomass Digester can produce enough gas to run
the stove for one hour a day.
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I was curious about bamboo because it has so many
uses. I had questions
What kinds are good for building fences, benches,
buildings, etc? Does bamboo make good firewood?
Which varieties grow fast?
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ECHO had answers. I met Mark Maerten, the Bamboo
Answer Man.
Theres clumping bamboo and theres running
bamboo. You dont want running bamboo. There is a
saying, the first year it sleeps, the second
year it creeps and the third year it leaps.
Because the walls of bamboo are high is silica,
it does not retain water and so it resists
warping. Bamboo burns well as a coal but will
explode because of the air locked chambers. You
must cut open the chambers before using it.
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Another irrigation system using a special drip
tape attached to a bucket. This one is valuable
where water is scarce. You can purchase this drip
tape from ECHO.
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Rooftop hydroponics. You dont need heavy soil to
grow plants. ECHO guide lifts up the carpet that
retains water for the roots of this garden.
The inverted bucket has a one-quarter inch hole
punched in the lid to irrigate the carpet. Root
vegetables can turn out a little misshapen. Get a
load of the funny shaped carrot.
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Because the roots dont have soilto help them
stand up, you have to stuff something around the
plants to hold them up. At ECHO they used cans,
rocks, mulch, paper, wood chips and trash.
These designs would work well inthe slums of
Nairobi.
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If you pick your greens and take them to the
market to sell them on a hot day, they wither
from the heat. At the end of the day, the vendors
are tossing the tired old greens that they have
not sold. But not the lady who built one of these
portable gardens utilizing the rooftop technology.
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ECHO has a Tilapia pond. They pen the ducks up at
night in this wire mesh floored hut so the
droppings will encourage to growth of algae in
the pond. Tilapia fish love green scum.
ECHO refers to ducks as a meal in a package. Just
the right size for an average household. Both
tilapia fish and the ducks are great sources of
protein.
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Bob and Ellen Hargrave lived near Eldoret just a
few miles from the Harvest Grove Site. They
worked with the Middletons on a water project
nearby.
Danny Blank is the citrus specialist and his
experience will prove valuable when I start
exporting/importing plants to Africa.
Tim and Paige Motis serve in Haiti. They are
stateside right now because Paige is very
pregnant. I will utilize their experience on
Andros Island.
Thanks ECHO for a great time. Your knowledge will
ripple out and touch many lives.
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If you pick you greens xxxxxxx
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