CONFERENCE - Tuesday, May 2, 2006
UNDERUTILIZED PLANTS
Their Role in Preventive Medicine, Nutrition, and Sustainability Perennial Vegetables: Finding Inexpensive, Highly Productive Nutrition Solutions for Poor Families in the Topics
MARTIN PRICE, PhD
Executive Director and CEO, Educational Concerns for Hunger (ECHO)
SUMMARY
ECHO has a unique "farm" in SW Florida where the largest collection of plants useful to small-farm agriculture in the continental USA is found. A climate controlled seedbank offers trial packets of seeds for underutilized tropical and subtropical plants to a network of individuals, NGO's and scientists around the globe. Some promising candidate plants for small farmers or nutrition programs will be discussed. In particular, a few highly nutritious perennial vegetables will be featured that can be planted once and used for food for years. These hold special promise for HIV/AIDS families because they do not need to till the ground, buy seeds, and do extensive cultivation. Food plants with adaptation to commonly found difficult environmental conditions will be described as well as how to obtain them from ECHO and to make use of ECHO's various (mostly free) services to NGOs and scientists working with small-holder farmers.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Price received a BS in chemistry from Ohio University and a Ph. D. in biochemistry from Indiana University. During this time he developed a strong interest in finding ways to direct his scientific career to helping the poor in underdeveloped countries.
While teaching chemistry and biochemistry at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA he spent two summers in short post-doctoral positions at Cornell to better understand how to redirect his career. This ultimately led to three years of post-doctoral research in the biochemistry department at Purdue University working on nutritional limitations of bird-resistant grain sorghum that presented a dilemma for small-holder farmers in Africa and other tropical settings. After two years in research management at Battelle Laboratories where he worked on the potential of sweet sorghum for biogas production he became the Executive Director of the Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO) in SW Florida. ECHO flourished over the next 25 years and today offers unique educational opportunities in hands-on agricultural techniques and plants for the small tropical farm. Over 10,000 visitors (ranging from the general public, senior citizens, elementary and high school and university groups) come for guided educational tours. Others more directly involved in community development work come for more extended study opportunities.
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