ECHO is an an international organization based in Florida that helps educate and empower farming families across the globe. They now have centers in Africa and Asia, have recently welcomed a new CEO, Abram Bixler, and are hiring for their Regional Impact Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Here’s the description:

ECHO is hiring an ECHO Asia Regional Impact Center Director, with the position located in Chiang Mai, Thailand, but working with a phenomenal team throughout the region. During its existence over the past 13 years, ECHO Asia has grown to a team of 18 Thai and international staff, has a significant online network presence, hosts numerous trainings on-site and throughout the region each month, and is based on a Small Farm Center and Seed Bank with a dedicated training facility in Chiang Mai. The needs in the region are great, but ECHO is responding by identifying, testing, sharing, and measuring contextualized innovative ideas, techniques and seeds. If you or someone you know is interested in applying to this exciting and meaningful position, please see the attached Opportunity Profile and summary below. 

Applicants should apply through our Careers section of our website: https://echonet.org/about-us/careers/

(Tell them you heard about the position through the Pollinator!)

Our desire as a family is to glorify God by caring for his creation in a way that allows us to eat healthily, make a living and bless other people. 

…We set ourselves a simple goal: to grow all our own food and eat healthily. 

As with many others in many different parts of the world, their effort seeks to integrate all of the different parts of God’s creation:

We began with activities such as land preparation, construction of the chicken house, planting trees and digging fishponds. We read many articles and books and visited other people’s farms to learn from them. We looked for market opportunities and started to harvest eggs, vegetables, fish, chicken and rice.

‘Our farm of three hectares is now carefully planned for integrated farming. One third is for rice and the rest is for fish ponds, chickens, ducks, fruit trees, bamboo for construction, corn, beans, herbs, medicinal plants and vegetables. We raise bees in the fruit orchard for organic honey, pest control and pollination. 

‘We use farming practices that work with nature, not against it. We use compost and animal manure to fertilise the land. Pests and diseases are kept under control by insects and birds that are attracted to our farm by the trees, ponds and permanent vegetation.  

In the intervening years, they have influenced their neighbors and the larger Christian community around them. Read more here.

“Small Scale: Up Scale” is the theme for ECHO’s Asia Agricultural Conference, coming to Chiang Mai in October. If you’re in the region, and at all interested in agriculture, this event is for you. The cost appears reasonable, and scholarships are available (see link for more information).

Here’s part of the description; click here for full information and how to register:

How can we help small scale farming initiatives thrive in Asia? We can provide low-cost, innovative options that allow people to grow both their crops and their knowledge, expand their operations, and scale up!
Join us October 1-4 for 3-days of networking and opportunities to share ideas, technologies appropriate for small scale farmers, and lots of practical demonstrations at the new ECHO Asia Seed Bank & Small Farm Resource Center!
In addition to morning plenary speakers, we will conduct afternoon workshops at the ECHO Farm, an evening poster session, a seed exchange, followed by a 1-day site visit to one of many area best practice sites!
เชิญเข้าร่วมกับเราเป็นเวลา 3 วัน
ของการสร้างเครือข่ายและโอกาสในการแบ่งปันความคิด
และเทคโนโลยีที่เหมาะสมสำหรับเกษตรกรรายย่อยและ
การสาธิตเชิงปฏิบัติจำนวนมาก! 
   -ช่วงเข้ารับฟังการบรรยายจากวิทยากร
   -ช่วงบ่าย เป็นภาคปฏิบัติการ ที่ ฟาร์มเอคโค่
   – ช่วงตอนเย็นทำการแลกเปลี่ยนความคิดเห็น
   -มีการแลกเปลี่ยนเมล็ดพันธุ์
   -เยี่ยมชมฟาร์มกลุ่มสมาชิกเครือข่าย 1 วัน

There have been some initiatives started such as Clean and Green Village project and a declaration on environmental protection and conservation by Mara people (they are considered 100% Christian).
Recently, we talked about the World Environment Day and they liked it that’s why they have started it even though it’s still small but at least 5 communities participated and total of 500 people included of children at schools and also local government officers such as military and police.
The plan for next year will be a little bit bigger event which we expect around 50 communities will join, work and pray together with people around the world at the next World Environment Day.

The attached photos are from Tui’s project Home In Garden at home-in-garden.business.site/