Using Science & Technology to Help the Poor: Research and the Christian College

Calvin CollegeNovember 18, 2008

An ECHO presentation by Martin Pricewww.echonet.org

ECHO’s Vision“ to bring glory to God and a blessing to mankind by using

science and technology to help the poor.”

Talk Outline

• How ECHO has implemented this vision

• What kind of research will help the extremely poor?

• How can I identify suitable research ideas?

• Some examples

The Poor Have Few Options

What about that Chinese proverb?

Is it just a matter of education?

What about that Chinese proverb?

• “If you give a man a fish you’ve fed him for a day.

• “If you teach a man to fish you’ve fed him for a lifetime.

Echo’s Version

• “If you give a man a fish you’ve fed him for a day.

• “If you teach a man to fish you would have fed him for a lifetime…except the lake’s fished out.

• ECHO works to stock the “idea pool” with options to help the poor.

ECHO’s specialty is providing development workers with options for helping the poor.

Tropical “Textbook” FarmTropical “Textbook” Farm

50 Acre Farm with the largest collection of tropical fruits and vegetables in the USA

10 Acres set up as a Global Farm representing 6 different Agro Zones

Hot Humid LowlandsMountain MonsoonSemi-AridRainForestUrban Gardens

Innovative OptionsInnovative Options

Technical Support:

ECHO’s technical team answers questions and provides advice for its global network.

Innovative OptionsInnovative Options

Mini barrage to reduce erosion Moringa growing in Cambodia

Technical Support:ECHO’s technical team answers questions and provides advice for its global network.

Innovative OptionsInnovative Options

Seeds:

ECHO sends out trial packets of seed to members of our network. ECHO’s

seedbank contains over 370 varieties of

hard-to-find vegetables, multi-

purpose trees, fruits and other tropical

crops.

Innovative OptionsInnovative Options

Bud-Wood & Tree shipments

Innovative OptionsInnovative Options

Website:

ECHO’s website provides a link to our

publications and connects us to our

network.

Over 1 million documents

downloaded since 2005

www.echonet.org

Innovative OptionsInnovative Options

Consulting:

ECHO offers off-site as well as on-site

consulting.

Innovative OptionsInnovative Options

Publications:

ECHO Development Notes

&

Technical Notes

Innovative OptionsInnovative Options

Appropriate Technologies

Innovative OptionsInnovative OptionsFarming SystemsFarming Systems

Roof Top and Urban Roof Top and Urban GardeningGardening Conservation GardensConservation Gardens

Education and TrainingEducation and Training

ECHO provides education & training in ECHO provides education & training in the following ways:the following ways:

• Internship Program Internship Program • Formal (i.e. college credit) Formal (i.e. college credit) EducationEducation• Non-formal EducationNon-formal Education• WorkshopsWorkshops

Education and TrainingEducation and Training

Internship Program:Internship Program:

This is a one year work This is a one year work experience program experience program designed to provide designed to provide training for potential training for potential

development workersdevelopment workers..

ECHO provides education & training in ECHO provides education & training in the following ways:the following ways:

Education and TrainingEducation and Training

Formal Education:Formal Education:

ECHO partners with ECHO partners with AuSable to offer for-AuSable to offer for-credit courses on the credit courses on the

ECHO campus to ECHO campus to university students.university students.

ECHO provides education & training in ECHO provides education & training in the following ways:the following ways:

Education and TrainingEducation and Training

Non-Formal Non-Formal Education:Education:

A guided self-study A guided self-study program designed to program designed to

let international let international workers focus on workers focus on specific topics.specific topics.

ECHO provides education & training in ECHO provides education & training in the following ways:the following ways:

Education and TrainingEducation and Training

Workshops:Workshops:

Various workshops are Various workshops are offered throughout the offered throughout the

year at the ECHO year at the ECHO campus.campus.

ECHO provides education & training in ECHO provides education & training in the following ways:the following ways:

Education and TrainingEducation and Training

Campus Resources:Campus Resources: •Reference LibraryReference Library•Global FarmGlobal Farm•International StaffInternational Staff

The Bottom Line If Results of Science & Technology

Are To Reach the Poor . . .• It must cost the poor nothing or almost nothingExceptions: • If the goal is to develop something you hope

generous benefactors will pay to make available, e.g. HIV/AIDS drugs.

• New technology becomes basis for local micro-enterprises that generate employment, e.g. simple equipment to thresh grain amaranth heads.

• It is of help to organizations that will use it in ministry, e.g. test strip for malaria testing.

Groups to Know About

• Tillers International

• Engineering Ministries International

• Engineers Without Borders

• Engineers for a Sustainable World

• American Scientific Affiliation

Where Does One Begin?

• Several Ideas to Consider Are Available in an ECHO Publication

Using Science to Help the Poor:

low-budget research ideas

Go to www.echonet.org.

Click on “agricultural support”

Search for “using science” or go tohttp://echotech.org/mambo/images/DocMan/UsingSci.pdf

Two Other Places to Look for Ideas

• Trees for Life Journal www.TFLJournal.org

• International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering

www.engr.psu.edu/IJSLE/home.htm – “ . . .purpose of the Journal is to foster inquiry

into rigorous engineering design and research and to direct those efforts to service-related projects.”

Five Categories• Does this really work?

– E.g. papaya leaf tea to prevent malaria

• Further development needed (the “D” in R&D)– E.g. rat poison from the gliricidia tree– Many medicinal plants need more precise dosing info

• Seek solutions to identified problems– E.g. rotating bean bags to control Bruchid beetles

• Develop something suitable for a village industry– E.g. biological insecticide incubated in coconuts

• Analytical work to assist Third World scientists– Test kit to measure cyanide in foods/feeds– E.g. analysis of L-dopa in velvet bean

Velvet Beans

Even at Private Colleges?

Advantages/Disadvantages vs. Universities

• Limited time (both professor and student)

• University can only work on problem if can get grant to cover salary, overhead etc.

• You can do it just because it needs to be done.

• Solution may be multi-disciplinary

• Less pressure to do “elegant” research

Possible Solutions to Limitations at Private Colleges

• Do your own fundraising. • Be sure Development Dept. can brag on

what you are doing. • Summer research• Hire a “post-bach”• Collaborate with colleagues at other

colleges or departments at Calvin College. Most real-life problems can’t be solved ONLY within one discipline.

A Few Other Suggestions

• Our academic needs may differ from needs of the poor. Begin with both ends in mind.– Academic community rewards elegance of research

or design; development community rewards impact on the poor.

• Providing perspective on existing designs may be more important than one more design.

• ALWAYS look to see what has already been designed or researched.

• A new design has minimal value unless it can be manufactured in-country.

Some Other Research Ideas

• Control of leaf-cutter ants

• Moringa leaves to prevent damping off of seedlings

Moringa Tree

Antibiotic ointment from moringa seeds.

ECHO Contact Information

Web at www.echonet.org

Email echo@echonet.org

The document with specific research ideas:

Http:\\echotech.org\mambo\docman\usingsci.pdf

Phone 239/543-3246

ECHOECHO

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