ECHO

• Explain the relationship and the complexity of production, marketing, distribution and consumption of the product (s).

The ECHO or Educational Concerns for Hunger Organizations is by far one of the most innovative things I’ve ever seen. They model household products after some of our most advanced efficient agricultural tools. These models are then presented to developmental countries with fewer resources then needed to create the real thing.

• Explain the key relationships between the soil, water, and climate that influence this agribusiness.

As agribusiness is literally the business of growing and selling foods (whether crops or animals), the natural ecosystem/weather/climate can be the difference between a successful year and complete disaster. Part of ECHO’s mission is to educate on the correct conditions to prevent further losses.

• What is the economic relationship of the agribusiness on the state, nation, and world?

Agribusiness is a supportive aspect to many different groups of people. First off agribusiness is by far one of the largest imports next to oil, and consumer goods. State exports increase revenue significantly. Then on national scale they can be taxed locally to create monetary benefits for the federal government. Now the largest scale, the world in tern is able enjoy the contents of another nation. This is especially invaluable in areas of droughts or malnutrition. Agribusiness keeps the world spinning.

• What are the economic and environmental issues concerning this business in this area?

Reed Scott answers this question best, “You must give to get, and you must sow the seed, before you can reap the harvest.” This could not me true when it comes to creating a successful agricultural project. The largest economic system is funding the initial project. In the U.S. were corporations control our agriculture market money is not a problem, but in a third world country where crops are grown for survival money is lacked. These methods ECHO creates are economically feasible because it can be made from scraps, or left over composite that no one wants.

Environmentally speaking if these methods spread on a mass scale a large chunk of waste would be removed from waste and recycled into something efficient. If there were a demand for trash it would no longer be trash-helping shrink the global waste pool.

• Identify the person(s) you interviewed in this field experience and state their perspective concerning the environment, food production and distribution.

I interviewed Bill Hooth the ambassador progam coordinator of ECHO. He explained ECHO is sparking new ideas. The limit of our potential is our own imagination. He works closely with anthropologist that travel the world to teach them simply “how to teach others”. He is a seven year ECHO veteran.

• How can you become involved in finding solutions to feed the hungry?
• In your opinion, is this activity sustainable? Explain.

The first thing that comes to mind for me is canned food drives. As cliché as they are the job gets done. Many soup kitchens run off the donations of these goods. On a larger scale something like ECHO is also an extremely great idea. Not only does it create food for those in need but also it creates a constant flow of food. This is absolutely sustainable because the product is being grown; there is no wrapper to be recycled.

• What do we have to do to feed the one billion people (one sixth of the world’s population)? Or is this the solution? If not, what is?

You can give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a meal, but give a man a fishing pole and he’ll eat for a lifetime. Self-productivity is our main solution to this hunger problem. Obviously there are more extreme conditions where nothing can be grown do to weather/soil/climate this were humanitarian aid is the only method that will make a difference. Even with a percentage of outliers, this is our most promising method to ended majority of the worlds starvation.