A Word About Papaya Fruit Fly

If your papaya fruits are ripening and dropping prematurely, the culprit could be papaya fruit fly (Toxotrypana curvicauda). Last week we walked through our demonstration farm and saw some papayas with papaya fruit fly larvae inside.

Adult female flies pierce the outer flesh of small papaya fruits, depositing their eggs inside the fruit where the eggs hatch into larvae (see photo below). Larvae-infested fruits yellow unevenly and easily fall off the tree. The larvae eventually eat a hole through the fruit wall and drop to the ground where they pupate in the soil at the base of the tree. Two to six weeks later, a new generation of flies emerges and the cycle repeats itself.

We minimize papaya fruit fly infestations by disrupting its life cycle. Once a week, each tree is shaken (not too hard) so that any infested fruits fall to the ground. These fruits are then collected and placed underwater to destroy the larvae before they can pupate.

Click here for more photos and detailed information from the University of Florida. Below are several photos taken on our farm.


An infected fruit









Larvae in fruit






















Pupa stage in soil under tree

Happy New Year from all of us at ECHO!

Happy New Year! My resolution is to be more healthy in 2007.
-- Mark Maerten, Director of Communications






Bònn ané! I want to take a language class in 2007, possibly French.
-- Rhoda Beutler, Educational Programs Coordinator




I resolve to write more letters on paper.
-- Miles Kirby, Gordon College Student

¡Felíz año nuevo! I want to read more books for pleasure.
-- Matt Schetne, Gordon College Student

Bonne année! I want to start yoga and hand weights.
-- Artis Henderson, PR Coordinator

Aam saiid! I haven't made a resolution for 2007. I believe you should try to better yourself each day, to continually strive to walk with God.
-- Stan Doerr, Executive Director

New Intern Comes to ECHO

What do you call cheese that doesn't belong to you?
Na-cho cheese

Ruth Tshin, the newest intern addition to the ECHO farm, loves corny jokes. And puns. She can't get enough of the silly word plays.

'My brother works for the UN,' Ruth tells us. 'So, I like to say, he's UN-employed.'

Hailing from Mississauga, Canada (just outside of Toronto, ay), Ruth brings a unique international blend to our North Fort Myers community. She is ethnically Chinese, although her family is from Indonesia. She has relatives spread across Southeast Asia.

At ECHO, Ruth is in charge of the Semi-Arid region, the goats, and will be working in the seedbank. She has already had several firsts here on the farm: the first time touching a frog, the first time slaughtering a chicken, and the first time making molasses. Her favorite treat? Fruit from the strawberry tree.

Goat Haiku

All I do is eat
munch munch chew munch chew munch burp
Can I eat your shoes?

-- attributed to myspace user, 'Goat'

At ECHO, our goats love to eat! Interns Aaron and Ruth collect forage for the ruminants every morning.

We have a mix of Alpines and Nubians, both male and female, and a buck named Curry.

If you are interested in small-scale goat raising, check out this selection in our bookstore.

HIV/AIDS, Nutrition, and Agriculture Workshop 2006

By the time you finish reading this article, 10 people will have become infected with HIV. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, 95% of these new infections occur in developing countries.

At ECHO, we find that many of the countries in our network are not only threatened by hunger, but AIDS as well. We decided to host a workshop that would use our agricultural knowledge to the benefit of those working with people living with HIV/AIDS.

Highlights includes: a presentation by Margaret Tagwira, of Zimbabwe, on nutritious foods as part of AIDS care; a seminar on cross-cultural communication, given by Dr. Dan Fountain; and a workshop on plants for special nutritional needs hosted by Dr. Martin Price.

Sugar Cane Pressing on the Farm!

Unless you grew up in Clewsiton or Bell Glade, not too many folks in south Florida have had the chance to taste fresh sugar cane juice. Today at ECHO, interns, staff, and volunteersrs alike got a taste of the sweet nectar. Even Stan, our Executive Director, took a turn around the sugar cane press brought from Cambodia. After all the cane was pressed, we boiled down the juice to make molasses.

For more on small-scale sugar cane production in developing countries, check out Cane Sugar in our bookstore.

Interns Derek and Katie enjoy the treat, while Nate and volunteer Dave give it two thumbs up.

2006 ECHO Agricultural Conference

Over 200 delegates representing 29 countries gathered in Fort Myers for the 13^th annual ECHO Agricultural Conference. These visitors included missionaries, students, foreign nationals and other development workers sharing the same desire to fight hunger wherever it occurs. The three busy days of November 7^th, 8^th and 9^th were filled with delegate presentations, workshops on the ECHO farm and many hours of conversation and networking.