Poster: Education & outreach

Abs # 940: Using science to help the poor

Presenter:	Ju, Grace C, gju@echonet.org
Authors	Ju, Grace C (A)   Price, Martin  (A)   Motis, Timothy  (A)   Yates, Heather  (A)   Berkelaar, Edward  (A)
Affiliations:	(A): Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization

About 31,000 people die every day from hunger and hunger related causes. Often it takes just a few simple resources for impoverished people to grow enough food to become self-sufficient. The resources include quality seeds, appropriate tools, access to water. ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization in Ft. Myers, FL) is dedicated to using science and technology to fight hunger. ECHO provides farmers , scientists, development workers and missionaries with innovative ideas, information, agricultural training and seeds. ECHO has a small research component that is doing low cost research that directly pertain to agriculture in difficult conditions. ECHO is also networking with research labs to collaborate in these research projects. Research projects include: Raising beneficial nematodes that control soil pests and mushroom fly larvae; using Pastueria as a biocontrol against root knot nematodes; seed storage methods and containers for places with no refrigeration and electricity; virus removal from Chaya using tissue culture; use of Moringa seed extracts in antibacterial cream. Most of these projects have been done in collaboration with undergraduate research programs as well as graduate research projects.