Sustainable Tropical Agriculture Seminar

DATES: January 1-19, 2009

The Gordon College Biology Department in cooperation with the Global Education Office offers you the opportunity to live and study for a two-part global experience with ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization).  ECHO is a nonprofit, Christian organization dedicated to fighting world hunger through ideas, agricultural information, training, and seeds.

1st part: At the ECHO farm in North Fort Myers, FL

2nd part: Continuing either in Honduras or Haiti. In Honduras, students will work with the Las Mangas Outreach, a mission near LaCeiba, Honduras, serving local farmers and helping with community development. In Haiti, students will work with various organizations involved in sustainable agriculture, reforestation, education, and community development.

ABOUT THE FIELD EXPERIENCES
Students will experience firsthand at ECHO the techniques in sustainable agriculture. The ECHO farm provides a practical classroom to study tropical plants and agriculture techniques for the developing world. At ECHO, workshops will include:

• Tropical fruit trees--grafting, pruning, disease control
• Seed germination experiments
• Rooftop gardens--vegetables, grains, and carrot  crops
  
• Appropriate technology--biogas stoves, drip irrigation

Lectures and workshops will be held daily. Students will be given exams and will submit reports and a journal.

The course continues in Honduras of Haiti, doing strenuous field work with missionaries and local farmers, and observing sustainable farms. In the field students will:

• Work on local farms
• Tour farms as well as agroforestry and irrigation projects
• See application of ECHO techniques
• Teach biology classes at a local school
• Assist in the local mission with community development work
  

As a group, students will meet each evening for a brief seminar and review of the day's projects. Students will submit an integrative essay exam and a journal.

REQUIREMENTS
The course takes place in early January, generally before the beginning of the Spring semester, and is usually 17 days in duration. Be aware: field work can be physically rigorous. You will earn four credits for the experience, including core life science lab credit. Gordon students are required to meet during the fall semester for 6 preemptive instructional hours in the second half of the semester. See Course Description and Application.

TEXTBOOKS
Beckmann, David and Arthur Simon. Grace at the Table: Ending Hunger in God's World. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1999.
Bunch, Roland. Two Ears of Corn: A Guide to People-Centered Agricultural Improvement. Oklahoma City, OK: World Neighbors, 1982.

CREDIT
Undergraduate credit for successful completion of this experience is four hours. Students must register for BY291/MI29-Sustainable Tropical Agriculture in the spring semester.

Note: Two weekends (Friday night and Saturday) of on-campus classroom sessions are also required.  Missing even one of these sessions will substantially effect the final grade for the course.

The on-campus dates for the 2008-2009 program are to be announced.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
Participants are required to acquire their own passports and secure any needed immunizations, as well as malaria prevention treatment.

COST
The total cost for January 2009 is approximately $3200* and includes:

• Tuition
• Roundtrip airfare from Ft. Myers to Honduras or Haiti**
• Ground transportation
• Meals
• Accommodations
• Course materials

*Final costs and arrangements subject to currency fluctuations and airfares.

**Please note that transportation to Ft. Myers is not included, and is the responsibility of the student. Return transportation to Boston following the field experience is included in the cost of the program.

APPLICATIONS--NO LONGER BEING ACCEPTED
By the April 14, 2008 deadline, Gordon applicants must:

• Complete the online application here (link here for Gordon students only).
• Submit a $130 non-refundable application fee and program deposit.* 
• Attend required Predeparture Orientation session in the spring.
• Sign up for BY291/MI291: Sustainable Tropical Agriculture in the fall.
• Attend on-campus class sessions in the fall.
  

Students will be notified of acceptance by April 21, 2008.  

*The remainder will be billed to student accounts in two installments--full details available from Student Financial Services.

CONTACT
For further information please contact:

The Global Education Office
p: 978.867.4399
e: geogordon.edu

Dr. Ming Zheng
Professor of Biology    
e: ming.zhenggordon.edu

See the ECHO homepage for further details about ECHO's global farm and their non-profit work in the global village.  For further details about the Gordon's program at ECHO, please contact the GEO.