Echo Park

This week’s field trip was at ECHO Park, an agricultural farm in Fort Myers. Aided through a scheduled tour my group made its way through the farm following the guide. The farm blended in extremely well with the natural environment. The tour guide informed the group that the main purpose of ECHO Park is to problem solves agricultural issues. While the tour only covers one fifth of the overall farm land it never the less was a great experience. Immediately upon entering the farm there are exotic plants and fruit greeting the tourists. The tour guide wastes no time explaining that all the vegetation on the farm each serves a unique purpose in demonstrating invaluable means of sustaining agricultural issues not just local but on a global outlook. The farm produces seeds from the plants and distributes them to areas in the world were specific plant could offer better production compared to local plants with similar functions. The objective is to provide improved production at low cost. The greatest contribution these function make to buyer is that the sale is made with the intent that no need for a secondary purchase will be necessary. Unlike most products out in the world today, ECHO attempts to provide the means of self sustaining plants that will not require multiple purchase but instead have a high rate of self producing which greatly helps toward eliminating lack of foods and hunger issues. The plants as indicated provide superior sources of nutrients compared to available products in retail store. A complexity remains in lack awareness of these available products as most of the sales are generated on a word to mouth basis from tourists whom visited ECHO. Surprisingly, many of the plants that were introduced had the ability to produce at a high quantity while requiring little use of natural resources. These plants could be introduced to areas with high droughts and provide local people with a sustained source of provided foods. Additionally many of these plants are edible and contain about 5 times the nutrients common house hold products provide.

ECHO Park also demonstrates that the natural habitat does not have to take a back seat to societal needs. On the farm small examples are given how opportunity can be maximized by intergrading the use of it environment with common areas in society. The farm also illustrates that animals manure greatly enhances growth and health for many of the vegetation projects on the farm. Awareness of ECHO’s activities and success needs to be presented on a grander platform. I feel that many of today’s issues concerning foods and sustaining plant life in areas with harsh condition can be effectively addressed using the methods implanted at the farm. Hunger dominates many areas of the world and with the key right under our noses there should be no reason why solutions to these issues cannot be presented. Empowered with the key to the problem we can live up to our duties and responsibilities and provide the means to feed many of our hungry children by implementing this method to provide foods at an infinite amount.