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ECHO Publications

  Latest Publication

ECHO Development Notes - an update

 

Dear ECHO Community Members,

As editors, we are grateful for your faithful readership of ECHO Development Notes (EDN) over the years. As agricultural technicians, we are grateful for your perspectives, experience, and interests which drive us to deliver you content that will help you with your work with smallholder farmers. As ECHO has gone through recent growth and change, we have decided to increase the frequency of EDN releases and incorporate more articles from ECHO’s various Regional Impact Centers. You will no longer receive Regional Development Notes (such as ECHO Asia Notes) if you signed up for these but instead will be receiving EDN every two months. All future issues of EDN starting with this issue will include at least one article contributed directly from ECHO’s Regional Impact Centers. Please email publishing@echocommunity.org with any questions or comments.

ECHO Development Notes Cover Image

ECHO Development Notes (EDN)

In ECHO Development Notes (EDN) we share the most helpful, practical information that we come across about growing food under difficult circumstances. Within each issue you'll find featured techniques, practices, information, and experience to help guide your work in tropical and subtropical agricultural development.

ECHO Technical Notes Cover Image

ECHO Technical Notes (TN)

ECHO Technical Notes (TNs) share in depth information about topics important to those working in the tropics and subtropics. Each document introduces and explains the general concept behind the technological solution, and some include examples or step-by-step instructions.

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ECHO Research Notes (RN)

ECHO Research Notes (RNs) share results of first-hand trials and experiments, done by ECHO staff or by network members. Material is authored by ECHO staff (past and present) as well as outside writers, all with experience and knowledge of their subject.

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ECHO Best Practice Notes (BPN)

ECHO East Africa Notes is a technical e-bulletin containing articles of interest to agriculture and community development workers in East Africa. Besides English, articles may be translated into Swahili. 

 
Ag Options front cover

ECHO Books

ECHO has two ECHO authored and published books: Amaranth to Zai Holes and Agricultural Options for Small-scale Farmers (also available in epub and separate chapters). ECHO has also published books written by Network members including Roland Bunch's second edition of Restoring the Soil and Dan Foutain's Let's Restore Our Land.

 Community Contributions

ECHO welcomes submissions to our publications. For information about submitting an article please see the Author Instruction page.

Click here to download a template document that contains headings, fonts, and style suggestions per ECHO's style guide.

Click here to download an example submission article. 

Below is an optional training video to help you learn about ECHO's writing style.

Publications by Release Date

EAN Issue #7

EAN Issue #7
Families Benefited with Dairy Goats Project A Research Project: Packed Biogas in Bags Green Manure/ Cover Crops: jack bean

EAN Issue # 12

EAN Issue # 12
Symposium Shared Lessons, Technologies, and Experience Expand and Strengthen the ECHO East Africa Network Member Transformative Impact of Internships on Young Individuals Support the Mission of Work Through Partnership/Collaboration Upcoming Joint Symposium in Juba, South Sudan

AN Issue #43

AN Issue #43
Featured in this AN Mycorrhizal Fungi - Our Tiny Underground Allies Tomato Grafting in Southeast Asia: A Useful Technique for Rainy Season Production

AN Issue #44

AN Issue #44
Featured in this AN The Martinez Airlift Water Pump Do All Parts of the Chaya Plant Contain Cyanide? Cyantesmo Paper for Detecting Cyanide

AN Issue #45

AN Issue #45
Featured in this AN Stingless Beekeeping (Meliponiculture) on Java [Editor’s Note: For questions, comments, or personal experience on this topic visit the echocommunity ‘conversations’ forum Meliponiculture: Stingless Beekeeping.] Production of Vegetable Fern (Diplazium esculentum Reytz.) Under Varying Levels of Shade ECHOcommunity Mobile App Now Available! Virtual Training Opportunity with ECHO Asia- email us at asiahospitality@echocommunity.org!

AN Issue #46

AN Issue #46
African Swine Fever Virus: Overview and Prevention on the Small Farm [Editor’s Note: For questions, comments, or personal experience on this topic visit ECHOcommunity Conversations: African Swine Fever Virus] [Example] Small Farm Biosecurity Plan for the Prevention of African Swine Fever I Suspect ASFV on my Farm: What Steps Should I Take? ECHOcommunity Conversations: Find Practical Answers from a Global Network of Agriculturalists  

AN Issue #47

AN Issue #47
Featured in this AN Establishing a Scaled-Up Black Soldier Fly System An Innovative 'Do-All' Biochar Burner Design

Small-Scale Nursery Management

Small-Scale Nursery Management
Cultivating plants, sharing seeds and cuttings with neighbors, and seeking better crop varieties are as old as agriculture. We use the word “nursery” for places where we care for and nurture things that are precious and vulnerable, like children and plants. Creating habitats to grow healthy seedlings is an integral part of the farming cycle, an important contribution to a thriving community, and both a rewarding and challenging business opportunity. A nursery can be as small as a farmer’s seedbed for the immediate planting of a single crop, or as large as a complex business with hundreds...

Integrated Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management
The current global situation calls for a multi-pronged approach to pest management. To be widely applicable, this approach must provide farmers with options to control pests at various scales of production (from small farms to very large operations) with a diversity of resources. Integrated pest management (IPM), a strategy based on farmer innovations, is highly adaptable to specific contexts and reduces dependency on pesticides while still recognizing their use.  IPM is a management approach that focuses on the larger system and aims for long-term prevention of pests using a combination...

Black Soldier Fly Larvae Production

Black Soldier Fly Larvae Production
This guide expands on a summary by Chalermliamthong and Trail (2021) of the black soldier fly larvae production system at the ECHO Asia Small Farm Resource Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The production system there serves as an approach for scaling up larvae production as an alternative protein source to fish and soy meals for agricultural livestock feed. The authors encourage adaptation to fit needs, resources, and constraints of your local context. The end of this article includes some considerations for household-level operations.

Animal Production Litter Systems

Animal Production Litter Systems
Litter systems are an approach to hygienic, integrated animal production in which animals are raised in an enclosed space on a floor of organic bedding. Systems with thick bedding material are sometimes called deep litter systems. Litter systems allow you to prioritize animal health by providing conditions like those in animals’ natural environments. Litter systems also help capture animal waste and convert it to usable forms for crop production.  Animals can be kept on a litter system for part or all the production cycle depending on the farmer’s context. These systems do not produce as...

Bamboo Load-Centered Wheelbarrow

Bamboo Load-Centered Wheelbarrow
A standard wheelbarrow, with the wheel at the front, places about half the weight of the load on the operator. A load-centered wheelbarrow places the wheel in the center of the load, shifting 90% or more of the weight to the wheel instead of the operator. This allows the device to be used for distance hauling on narrow paths. The load-centered wheelbarrow is an ancient Chinese design. Cargo was placed around and above a large (about 1m diameter) wheel. This allowed operators to transport heavy loads (including passengers) many kilometers on narrow footpaths. ECHO developed a design that...

EDN Issue #149

EDN Issue #149
Farmer-Centered Climate Change Mitigation: Part 2 of 2 From ECHO's Seed Bank: A Seed Trial Report - How Seeds from ECHO Grew in a Dry-Season Garden in Uganda Echoes from our Network: Grafting Tamarillo and Other Solanaceous Crops for Nematode Resistance  Books, Websites, and Other Resources: AT Fair Summary ECHO International Agriculture Conference - ONLINE EVENT

EDN Issue #150

EDN Issue #150
Perennial Vegetables and Nutrition From ECHO's Seed Bank: Factors to Consider when Selecting a Pigeon Pea Variety  Echoes from our Network: 2020 ECHO International Agriculture Conference Books, Websites, and Other Resources: ECHOcommunity Mobile App Announcement

EDN Issue #151

EDN Issue #151
Insect Pest Management: Options for Monitoring Pest Populations From ECHO's Seed Bank: Apios americana Echoes from our Network: Subscribe to ECHO Asia Notes! Books, Websites, and Other Resources: Review of Agroforestry Design ToolTM

EDN Issue #152

EDN Issue #152
Insect Pest Management: Options for Controlling Pest Populations From ECHO's Seed Bank: Everglades (Wild) Tomato Echoes from our Network: Acacia angustissima Farming Improvement Experience  Books, Websites, and Other Resources: Soy Kit as an Appropriate Technology for Women Entrepreneurs - A Review

EDN Issue #153

EDN Issue #153
Moringa Productivity with Legume Intercropping Insect Pest Management: Evaluation and Assessment Echoes from our Network: Gliricidia-Annual Intercropping System From ECHO's Seed Bank: ‘Lacinato’ Kale for Home Gardens Books, Websites, and Other Resources: Food Plant Solutions and Downloadable Books

EDN Issue #154

EDN Issue #154
Extending Postharvest Life of Fresh Fruit: Harvest at the Right Time Echoes from our Network: Homegarden Agroforestry From ECHO's Seed Bank: Chipilín Books, Websites, and Other Resources: CTA publications, CVM publications, and App Translation

EDN Issue #155

EDN Issue #155
Low-Cost Microcontrollers: Applications for Small-Scale Agriculture Echoes from our Network: A Deep Litter System for Natural Chicken Production From ECHO's Seed Bank: 'KDV-1' Maize Books, Websites, and Other Resources: WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants and Canadian Foodgrains Bank Video Series on Conservation Agriculture and Marketing

EDN Issue #156

EDN Issue #156
Extending Postharvest Life of Fresh Fruit: Harvest for Quality Chicken Compost System Echoes from our Network: Microcontroller use From ECHO's Seed Bank: Allium cepa ‘Awahia’ A Short-Day Onion Option Books, Websites, and Other Resources: Discount on Roland Bunch's Second Edition of "Restoring the Soil"

EDN Issue #157

EDN Issue #157
Bioliquid Fertilizer Update Considerations for crop selection Echoes from our Network: Tithonia and neem fermented liquid for termite control From ECHO's Seed Bank: ‘Asia Cayenne’: A Mild-Tasting Chili Pepper Books, Websites, and Other Resources: VITA resources revived and The Fertilizer and Seed Recommendations Map for West Africa

EDN Issue #158

EDN Issue #158
Is Drip Irrigation Right for Me? Recap of Options for Storing Grains Echoes from our Network: Hermetic Sealing in Haiti From ECHO's Seed Bank: 'Starfighter' Lettuce Books, Websites, and Other Resources: Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE)

EDN Issue #159

EDN Issue #159
Triage and Recovery of Small Fallen Trees 2022 ECHO International Agriculture Conference: Topic Summaries Echoes from our Network: Low Resource Control of Leaf Cutter Ants From ECHO's Seed Bank: Guazuma ulmifolia, a multi-purpose tree Books, Websites, and Other Resources: Trees with Edible Leaves by Eric Toensmeier

EDN Issue #160

EDN Issue #160
Low-Cost Seed Storage Technologies Extending Postharvest Life of Fresh Produce: After-harvest handling Echoes From our Network: Experiments to Control Millipedes with Locally Available Ingredients From ECHO's Seed Bank: Erythrina berteroana

EDN Issue #162

EDN Issue #162
Contour Cultivation and Live Barriers for Small-Scale Farmers Taro (Colocasia esculenta) From ECHO’s Seed Bank: Oven-Dried Rice as a Desiccant for Seed Drying Books, Websites, and Other Resources: ECHOCommunity Mobile App - Resource Management

EDN Issue #161

EDN Issue #161
Factors that Impact Seed Germination Echoes From our Network: Moringa Spacing Considerations From ECHO’s Seed Bank: Clay Beads for Drying and Preserving Seeds Books, Websites, and Other Resources: Aprovecho.org- Information on Fuel-Efficient Cookstoves

Farmer-Centered Climate Change Mitigation

Farmer-Centered Climate Change Mitigation
ECHO recognizes climate change as a profound reality faced by small-scale farmers. Many of our publications have focused on helping farmers cope with related challenges such as heat and drought.Increasing farmer resilience and minimizing risk have been key elements of the practices we have written about over the years.  We encourage “no regret” strategies, approaches that steward the land well and improve livelihoods, regardless of whether or not farmers face immediate changes to climate. However, we also view farmers as having an integral role in mitigating some of the driving forces of...

Best Practices for Tropical Dryland Agriculture

Best Practices for Tropical Dryland Agriculture
It is estimated that drylands occupy 40% of the earth’s surface. Drylands are regions where the average annual precipitation is less than 65% of the average annual potential evapotranspiration (an Aridity Index of < 0.65). The FAO Aridity Index is defined as a 30 year average of annual precipitation divided by annual potential evapotranspiration. Thriving and even surviving in dryland climates has always been a challenge. Similarly, yearly rainfall has always been variable with droughts and floods occurring regularly for millennia.

EDN Issue #148

EDN Issue #148
Farmer-Centered Climate Change Mitigation: Part 1 of 2 Are Crickets a Practical Source of Protein in Tropical Countries? From ECHO's Seed Bank: Cowpea Varieties for Warm Rainy Season ECHOes from our Network: Emergency Gardens in a Quarantine World Books, Websites, and Other Resources: New ECHO Branding, New Technical Note on Earthbag Seed Banks, Restoring the Soil- Second Edition now available through Amazon.com Inc®

Earthbag Seed Banks

Earthbag Seed Banks
Seed storage in the tropics has been a frequent topic of ECHO publications and trainings due to its importance to the smallholder farmer. Access to quality seeds is imperative for agronomic and horticultural crop production. While on-farm seed saving benefits the smallholder farmer, cooperative seed storage through the creation of seed banks bolsters farmers at the community level. Seed banks provide secure structures for seed storage, while also serving as genetic repositories for important plants in the community. Centralizing the seed saving process also allows for cooperative...

AN Issue #42

AN Issue #42
Featured in this AN Making On-Farm Pig Feed: Farm-Generated Formulas vs. Commercial Feeds Join the ECHOcommunity.org Conversation about this topic- CLICK HERE! ECHOs from the Network: Integrated Pest Management on the Island of Bali Coffee Drying "Bunk Beds for Vegetable Production"

EDN Issue #147

EDN Issue #147
Responding in the Case of an Epidemic or Pandemic A Tip of the Hat to the Tippy Tap Promoting Biodiversity on Maize Smallholdings: Importance of Birds From ECHO's Seed Bank: Fast-Growing Plants for Household Food Supply Echoes from Our Network: 100-Fold Gardens in Honduras Books, Web Sites, and Other Resources: A Post-Program Review of Grain Amaranth in East Africa

AN Issue #41

AN Issue #41
Featured in this AN A Snapshot of the ECHO Asia Small Farm Resource Center & Seed Bank Black Soldier Fly System of the Frangipani Langkawi Organic Farm

EDN Issue #146

EDN Issue #146
Low Oxygen Methods for Insect Control in Seeds ECHO International Agriculture Conference 2019: Topic Summaries Echoes from our Network: Roger Gietzen on the topic of syntropic farming Books, Web Sites and Other Resources: Vetiver Latrine

AN Issue #40

AN Issue #40
Featured in this AN State of Land in the Mekong Region - Brief Highlighted Resources from the Asia Agriculture & Community Development Conference Research Update: Heavy Metal Uptake in Tire Garden Planters

EDN Issue #145

EDN Issue #145
Pest Prevention: The Foundation of Integrated Pest Management Echoes from our Network: Nutrition Education in the Context of Community Agriculture Programs From ECHO's Seed Bank: New Lima Bean Cultivars Available Books, Web Sites, and Other Resources: Syntropic Farming Guidebook by Roger Gietzen

AN Issue #39

AN Issue #39
Featured in this AN Backyard Vermicomposting Systems: Examples from Myanmar New Book Spotlight: Animal Integration and Feeding Strategies for the Tropical Smallholder Farm

EDN Issue #144

EDN Issue #144
Introducing 100-Fold Gardens: Wicking Beds for High-Density Planting of Vegetables Where Water is Scarce Echoes from our Netwok: Literacy and Agriculture and Termite Harvesting in Ghana From ECHO's Seed Bank: Earthbag Houses for Storing Seeds Books, Web Sites, and Other Resources: Restoring the Soil, Second Edition Book Release

ECHO Notes de l'Afrique de l'Ouest Numéro 3

ECHO Notes de l'Afrique de l'Ouest Numéro 3
Le système de riziculture intensive (SRI)  Qu'est-ce que le SRI ? Les étapes de mise en œuvre du SRI L'irrigation des plants Le sarclage et le sarclo-binage, quels sont les avantages ? Le rendement du SRI Etude comparée entre le SRI et la pratique traditionnelle de riziculture  Intérêt du SRI Évènements à Venir

100-Fold Vegetable Gardens with Low-Cost Wicking Beds

100-Fold Vegetable Gardens with Low-Cost Wicking Beds
I discovered 100-fold gardens while researching ways to irrigate plants directly in the root zone. I wanted to know how to practically and affordably control some of the variables that influence plant growth, such as water availability and soil fertility. I read about “wicking beds,” which are watered from below as water moves up towards plants’ rooting zone from a reservoir lined with plastic. Watering from below prevents water loss while maintaining constant soil moisture and supplying water and nutrients in accordance with plant needs.  Wicking beds are a way of maximizing vegetable...

AN Issue #38

AN Issue #38
Featured in this AN: Refugee Camps as Microcosm: Restoration & Sustainability in an Accidental City Low-Cost Natural Building Options for Storing Seed in Tropical Southeast Asia

EDN Issue #143

EDN Issue #143
Learning about and from local seed systems Germination to Detoxify Jack Bean Techniques to Boost Plants’ Stress Tolerance and Extend Fruit Marketability From ECHO's Seed Bank: Fever Tree Books, Web Sites and Other Resources: Planetary Health Diet Proposal

AN Issue #37

AN Issue #37
Featured in this AN: Gracious Greetings from the New Regional Director of ECHO Asia Preventing Insect Damage of Stored Seed Using Low-Cost Control Options Rice Hull Gold: 10 On-farm Uses of Rice Hulls

Parasitic Plants in African Agriculture

Parasitic Plants in African Agriculture
This Technical Note provides an overview of parasitic plants of agricultural significance in Africa. Parasitic weeds cause drought stress and stunted crops. Affected plants include cereal grains (e.g., sorghum [Sorghum bicolor] and maize [Zea mays]) and grain legumes (e.g., cowpea [Vigna unguiculata]) that farmers rely on for food. Damage to these and other crops is generally heightened by low soil fertility and drought stress, conditions that are faced by many African smallholders. Parasitic weeds can lead to severe yield losses, making them an important constraint to food security in many...

AN Issue #36

AN Issue #36
Featured in this AN: Soil Amendments for Healthier Soils The Value of a Seed: Growing a Network of Community Level Seed Banks in Asia Is it possible to never (or rarely) need to shop for meat again? Book Review : Secret Livestock of Survival

EDN Issue #142

EDN Issue #142
Understanding Agriculture-Nutrition Linkages EIAC 2018 Topic Summaries Echoes from our Network: Intercropping Native Shrubs From ECHO's Seed Bank: Rollinia Books, Web Sites and Other Resources: Feed the Future Technical Briefs

Vacuum-Sealing Options for Storing Seeds

Vacuum-Sealing Options for Storing Seeds
Two broad categories of seeds exist, referred to as recalcitrant and orthodox. The former must be kept moist and planted soon after they are collected; large-seeded fruits such as mango and avocado are typical examples. The second type of seeds are discussed in this document. Orthodox seeds are generally smaller than recalcitrant seeds and represent almost any grain, legume, or vegetable crop. Orthodox seeds can be dried and stored for extended periods of time—often for many years, depending on the crop and storage conditions. This document presents ways to remove air from seed...

AN Issue #35

AN Issue #35
Featured in this AN: Livestock Integration on the Tropical Smallholder Farm Putting Biochar to use at the Edge: Quality, Soils, and Measurement

EDN Issue #141

EDN Issue #141
Shea Nut: The Butter Tree For How Long Should Chaya Leaves be Boiled?   Green Leafy Vegetables: Leaf Powder for Improved Nutrition  From ECHO's Seed Bank:  Jewels of Opar, An edible ornamental SPRING Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Training Resource Package

AN Issue #34 Special Edition

AN Issue #34 Special Edition
Conference Proceedings The 6th Biennial ECHO Asia Agriculture and Community Development Conference   Editors’ Note In an effort to expand the dissemination of technical materials and best practices presented during this year’s ECHO Asia Agriculture & Community Development Conference, the ECHO Asia team has compiled a collection of technical papers contributed by network members and conference participants.  The papers compiled in this Special Issue of ECHO Asia Notes seek to address a variety of topics relevant to the work of ECHO in the region, and summarize past and...

EDN Issue #140

EDN Issue #140
Farmer Field School Trials of 2:4:2 Maize/Legume Intercropping Laurel Wilt Disease: "Save the Guac!" Echoes from our Network: Metal silos for grain storage From ECHO's Seed Bank: Culantro Let’s Restore Our Land and Farming for Change curriculum

Bamboo for Construction

Bamboo for Construction
Many plants deemed as invaluable for the smallholder farmer offer nutritious food for the family, fodder for animals, or timber for construction. Remarkably, bamboo offers all three of these assets from the same perennial plant! This Technical Note will focus on how to most effectively harvest, preserve and use bamboo as timber for construction purposes. What’s Inside: Introduction Plant Description Harvesting Preservation & Post-Harvest Treatment Construction Conclusion References and Resources  

AN Issue #33

AN Issue #33
Featured in the AN: An Innovative, Inexpensive, Environmentally Friendly Method to Pasteurize Mushroom Media in the Tropics Using a Styrofoam Box Op-Ed: Forage Plants for Improved Human Development

EDN Issue #139

EDN Issue #139
Anthropology as a tool for facilitating agricultural development Invasion of the Fall Armyworm Echoes from our Network: Millepede Damage From ECHO's Seed Bank:  Passionfruit Books, Web Sites and Other Resources: Permaculture for Refugees in Camps

LACN Issue #4

LACN Issue #4
Green Leafy Vegetables and Powders for Improved Nutrition in Honduras Member Highlight: Elioena Arauz, Artists for Soup, Nicaragua Echoes from our Network: Deep Litter System ECHO Resource Highlight: Green Leafy Vegetables Technical Note Spotlight: "Linking Smallholder Farmers to Markets"

AN Issue #32

AN Issue #32
Featured in this AN:  Inexpensive Mass Propagation Techniques for Introducing Improved Potato Varieties in the Tropics Comparing Locally Available Waste By-Products as Feedstocks for Gasifier Cook-Stoves Book Review: Sustainable Agro-Watershed Management

EDN Issue #138

EDN Issue #138
Yellow Shoot, Green Fruit: Citrus Greening Disease EIAC 2017 Topic Summaries Echoes from our Network: edible insect feedback From ECHO's Seed Bank:  Tree Lucerne (Tagasaste), multipurpose forage crop for the highlands eBook Release: Agricultural Options for Small-Scale Farmers