Goodbye to Marcia
Marcia Croft, a student at Kalamazoo College in Michigan, spent the months of June through August interning at ECHO Asia's seed bank. Marcia played a key role in helping ECHO Asia initiate a year-long trial to test the effects of vacuum storage of seeds related to germination and seedling vigor. She also contributed to other seed bank efforts, including the implementation of various natural pest control approaches in both the crop production area and nursery.

 

Marcia returned to the US at the beginning of September to complete her final year at Kalamazoo. We are grateful for Marcia's productive work.

 

Hello to James and Vinny
James and Vinny have arrived just in time pick up where Marcia left off. James Manson is spending his "gap year" with the ECHO Asia Regional Office. Most of his childhood was spent in Chiang Mai where his parents are involved in linguistic work. Having recently graduated from Grace International School in Chiang Mai, James is now fully engaged in efforts at the ECHO Asia Seed Bank.  In addition to helping monitor the seed germination and seedling vigor trial and collect related data, James is also assisting with another field trial related to the production of vegetable fern (Diplazium esculentum) under varying degrees of shade.  We expect he'll have his hands full with these and other seed bank activities.

 

Vinny Ricciardi has also just finished a few weeks of Thai language learning in preparation to assist the ECHO Asia Regional Office at the seed bank as well as other programming, including coordination of field activities related to the Seed Saving Systems study in northern Thailand and Cambodia. 

 

This is Vinny's second time in northern Thailand.  In 2007-2008, he participated in the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute (http://www.isdsi.org/) study-abroad program based in Chiang Mai.

 

 

A group of faculty members from Vietnam's Thai Nguyen University dropped by the ECHO Asia office on August 4.

 

On August 5, Gary Oughton with ECOLaos, along with Peter and Lawthanun, from the Myanmar Baptist Convention, paid a visit to the ECHO Asia Regional Office Seed Bank.

 

ECHO Asia also coordinated Chiang Mai-based site visits related to sustainable agriculture for representatives from

 The Wholistic Development Organization (Cambodia) and World Vision Switzerland.   In this photo, the participants are being exposed to a biogas system in operation at the Partners Thailand farm.

 

The ECHO Asia Regional Office and Partners Thailand will co-host a three-day workshop to be held at the Partner's farm on the outskirts of Chiang Mai.  Divided into six half-day sessions, the Tropical Agriculture Workshop will offer 20 participants a chance to engage in hands on practice related to:

 

Workshop Registration
To inquire and register for the Tropical Agriculture Workshop, contact the ECHO Asia Regional Office at echoasia@echonet.org.
Registration deadline:  December 1, 2010
 

Basic fruit tree grafting and propagation - Betsy Langford, a previous ECHO intern with recent international development experience, and Boonsong Thansrithong of Partners will lead participants through the basics of fruit tree grafting and propagation.  Techniques will include the production of root stock as well as making grafts.  Propagation by air layering as well as stem cuttings will also be covered. 

January 20
Soap Making for Development - Experienced soap maker, Marv Kahn (Partners Thailand), will introduce the basics of home soap production for possible application in community development work. Various types of soap making techniques and materials will be introduced. Products will include not only simple soap for basic sanitation and hygiene but also valued-added soaps made from botanical materials.

Natural farming for pig and compost production - Partners Thailand and ECHO Asia staff will introduce participants to various natural farming techniques including the use of natural bedding (e.g, rice husks, leaves) for pigs which can be later used as natural fertilizer.The production of low-cost fermented livestock feed, made from local materials such as banana stalk, molasses and rice brain will also be covered. 

January 21
Backyard mushroom production - Covering the basics of backyard mushroom production, Partners Thailand staff member, Sombat Chalermliamthong, will lead participants through key steps in raising straw mushrooms (Volvariella volvaceae) using both baskets and frame beds.  Mushroom production issues such as seasonal management, sources of spawn, production site preparation and problem solving will also be discussed.
 

Introduction to vermiculture at Mae Jo University - Dr. Arnat Tancho and coworkers will offer an introduction to Thai-style earthworm production at the Mae Jo University vermiculture facility.  The workshop will include an introduction to indigenous types of earthworms and an overview of various approaches related to small- and large-scale production of vermicompost and vermicompost-tea.  
 

For up-to-date information related to global, regional and national rates of chronic hunger as well as progress related to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), access the Food and Agriculture Organization's Hunger page http://www.fao.org/hunger/en/.  This site offers effective graphic tools, including a pie chart that shows the current distribution of the world's hungry; the majority (578 million) being in Asia.

 

Other informative features include the Interactive Hunger Map that provides graphic and statistical data related to the prevalence of malnourishment in total population (%) per country; the MDG Progress Map; and the downloadable Pathways to Success PDF that highlights examples of countries making gains in reducing hunger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dick Tinsley (Professor Emeritus, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University) recently shared the following announcement related to upcoming online courses offered by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IIDS).
 
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is a continuing-education-based program within the Department of Civil Engineering at Colorado State University. IISD is also a sister organization of the independent non-profit, non-governmental community development organization Village Earth also, based in Fort Collins, Colorado.
 
IISD offers an online Certificate Program in Community-based Development.  Students who complete the "Approaches to Community-Based Development" course along with three other elective courses will receive a certificate in Community-Based Development from the International Institute for Sustainable Development at Colorado State University.
 
All courses are organized in a seminar format and last five weeks. Each course is $360 USD. All course materials are provided and can be downloaded from the course website after registration. More information can be obtained by clicking on the desired course. 
 
Fall Session II (October 22 - November 26, 2010) is OPEN for registration.  Deadline to register is October 15.  Click the links below for more information or to register:

 

 

 

Community-based Disaster Mitigation - NEW!