The StoryCorps Mobile Tour returned to Fort Myers in February and March 2024 to record meaningful conversations with people right here in Southwest Florida about their lives.
Each Monday, we’re highlighting some of the compelling stories from our fellow Southwest Florida residents.
In this installment, we hear Dr. Martin Price and his wife Bonnie Price explain how their faith led them to the ECHO Global Farm in North Fort Myers, and the organization’s ongoing work to combat hunger through sustainable food and agroecosystem strategies.
Transcript:
BONNIE PRICE: We have had quite a journey, and to get here, God prepared us each in many ways, for a couple decades for what? we did not know; that turned out to be starting the global tropical ag ministry of ECHO.
MARTIN PRICE: I used to take walks nearly every night around the campus where I was teaching at the time, and I vividly recall one night when I had been praying during the walk, asking God whether he was really calling me or if I was just imagining or hoping that he was. Perhaps I should just throw myself into teaching at the college. The thought came to me, “What would I be praying about if I were the head of a household living in a shack with dirt floors, trying to support my wife and kids on a remote, steep, two-acre farm?” If God heard my prayers from my privileged situation, how much more he must incline his ear toward the prayers of men and women and children who very seriously ask him to provide for their daily bread or even for the wood to cook the tortillas. Then this thought struck me. “God will surely answer these prayers.” Perhaps one way he's doing that is to put in my mind a restless drive to find a way to use science to help the poor, physically and spiritually. Whatever positions I held after finishing my doctorate, I had a strong sense that God was saying, “Don't get too comfortable here. This job and location are just part of the story.” I made some wild career and educational swings following, what I thought or hoped, was a calling from God.
BONNIE: All the time you seemed to be wrestling with combining two strong desires: the global work of Christian missions and using your science background to help the poor. We heard about ECHO. This was an incorporated, nonprofit Christian organization with the use of five acres in Florida, and they were looking for a way to help the poor in Haiti. you were formulating a ministry idea to address sciences to help the poor globally and you were looking for an organization to be part of. Thus, June of 1981 we came to ECHO, sight unseen, but with many ideas and much, much to learn. In fact, on thinking back over the years, we've been here, every step of it, we've been learning. And you formulated your guiding principles of ministry. And so, what do you remember about some of those principles that you came up with and lived by during this time?
MARTIN: One was make sure what God does is good science and respected by the scientific community, and integrity and humility are really core thoughts in my mind.
BONNIE: We came down thinking about introducing vegetables, and the whole world of tropical fruit trees came to light. I remember a situation where we had heard about, and started growing at ECHO, two different kinds of apple trees, and they were ones that were surviving in our warm climate. And that caught the eye of some people visiting and shortly after Mercy Corps, some folks from there, asked if we could put them in contact with someone who could help them get some of these trees. Well, I began looking and found a nurseryman in northern Florida who found that very intriguing. Here are some people who want to try these trees down in Ecuador. And so we put them in contact. We put people with a need, with people who could help. And so, this is what happened over and over again.
MARTIN: We never know from whom we might be about to learn something important or going to make a big difference in his or her community. That's regardless of academic credentials or size of the organization. For example, Beth Mayhood, who ran an orphanage in Haiti, introduced me to the neem tree, (and) the moringa tree, gave echo seed for both, recipes for moringa, and inspired us to begin working on methods for rooftop gardening.
BONNIE: Early on, we learned networking was key, and we knew we did not have all the answers.
MARTIN: It was clear that when agricultural workers, often working in isolated areas, come together, they got answers and encouragement. And so, we tried the unconference with about eight folks that came. Well the next year we set up in a hotel hoping that 20 or 25 would come. When about 90 showed up we saw the importance of conferences. And within a couple years, it was over 200 every year, and still going on.
BONNIE: And now, as we think of these gatherings, we realize that ECHO now is not just in Fort Myers, but we have bases in Thailand, East Africa, Arusha, Tanzania and in West Africa, and soon to set up a post in India. And so, we're amazed at how ECHO has grown during our time there and then we've been retired for quite a while, and it just continues to grow. And that's been our life, really. ECHO has been our life. The funny thing is, it has accomplished wonderful things in the world, and yet it is Lee County's best secret. I can't believe how many people, if you mention Echo to somebody in Lee County, will say, “What's ECHO?” And yet the community.org website has thousands of hits every month from 150, 160 countries.
JOHN DAVIS, HOST: That was Dr Martin Price and his wife Bonnie Price talking about their work building and growing ECHO, based out of North Fort Myers. Their conversation was recorded in Fort Myers through the StoryCorps Mobile Tour. This is WGCU News.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
