I really loved the field trip to ECHO. I wish that it had not been so rainy that day though. We ended up having to cut our tour short due to the weather. When the tour guide first started the video, I was thinking, "Oh great, here we go...." but it ended up being very entertaining. The video was a very good background to ECHO's mission. Basically what ECHO is trying to do is provide poor people with the necessary resources to be self sufficient. They teach others how to farm and harvest properly. They also look at each region specifically and offer plants and foods that will thrive in every living condition. ECHO has really done a great job at creating many "MacGyver-like" tools and apparatuses to get every job done. They have found seeds to purify water and created special heating boxes to cook food using sunlight. It is just really neat to see all the different things they have come up with to get every job done.
These examples do not compare at all to my view of "American" agriculture. When I think of American Agriculture I think of huge fields all containing different "typical" American produce. Then I think of huge industrial tractors harvesting the crops when the time comes. I feel that the work ECHO is doing is completely relevant to the developing world. They are certainly not focused on improving industrialized American farming. They truly want to help find what works best for each particular village or region. They are highly specialized in knowing exactly what the effects, benefits, and uses for every plant are. For example, if they know a certain disease is highly prevalent in an area, they might be able to suggest a plant that reduces symptoms of the disease.
I would have been interested in performing my service learning here, however I already found another site I really liked. I do think it is an absolutely wonderful cause though and maybe at some point in my future career I might have time to volunteer or get involved with ECHO.
No comments:
Post a Comment