As you walk through the sun dappled paths, you can feel it. There’s something different about this place. This ‘farm,’ nestled between horse ranches and Florida scrub in North Fort Myers, is the unassuming global headquarters of ECHO, an international Christian organization that is actively reducing hunger and poverty around the world.
The official name, ECHO Global Farm and Research Center, divulges that it is indeed more than your typical Florida farm. On about 50 acres of land, ECHO demonstrates growing conditions found in some of the most challenging environments on the planet. The eight areas of the farm are as varied as the regions they represent: Tropical Lowlands, Highlands, Monsoon, Semi-arid, Rainforest, Peri-Urban, Community Garden, and the Urban & Rooftop Gardens.
A tour of the ECHO Farm, offered Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 9:30am year-round, takes you on a casual stroll through these regions, learning about world hunger and the unique plants that have the power to change a family’s nutrition.
As you pass through the tropical lowlands, the rice paddy catches your attention. Rice, growing in Florida? The flooded plot, thick with a grass, vaguely resembling wheat, looks how you imagined it might, but what’s surprising is that each stalk of rice grows separately and it takes quite a large area to grow enough rice for a family’s needs. To help multiply the amount of rice to harvest, ECHO encourages farmers to use a technique called System of Rice Intensification. Using less water and less seed, this technique has been proven to produce substantially more rice than traditional techniques.
Next, we pass a small “mountain” and learn what can be grown on steep hillsides. Then we walk into a replica Caribbean homestead, complete with fruit trees, a food forest, field crops, and a small garden near the home constructed with homemade compressed blocks
The tour guide explains that this homestead allows the farming family to produce the most diverse harvest from a small amount of land. Volunteers and Interns are working in the garden and stop to share what they’re planting for this season.
Around the corner, we come to a community garden, where you can see ideas that would work for school or neighborhood gardens. Plants abound in raised garden beds, and there are even themed gardens such as a “pizza” garden with tomatoes, basil, and oregano to inspire kids of all ages to eat what they grow.
We stop for a few minutes to visit some friendly goats, who are an important part of a small farm. The goats, aside from being cute, provide muscle, manure, milk, money, and meat for their owners. The goats were snacking on mulberry leaves that were planted nearby as a renewable food source.
The Tropical Rainforest is the most lush part of the farm, resembling areas around the world that receive at least 100 inches of rain per year. We learn that most of the nutrients in the rainforest ecosystem are found in the green leaves of living plants, and that by mulching these leaves, a farmer can greatly increase the fertility of his/her soil. Instead of depleting the nutrients in the soil, ECHO teaches farmers around the world to nourish the soil.
Possibly the most impressive part of the farm, though, is the Urban Garden. Herbs and vegetables thrive in old tires, kiddie pools, plastic bags, pallets… you get the idea. This creative space encourages those with even the smallest space available to grow their own food. It is inspiring to say the least.
Whether you’re looking for an enjoyable half-day adventure, or ideas and plants for your own landscaping, ECHO is a great place to visit. You can find it just one mile East of I-75 at exit 143. ECHO’s nursery and bookstore are open 9-5 Monday through Friday and 9-4 on Saturday. Make sure to check the website for tour times and prices.
You can find out more about ECHO Farms, online.
