Fostering Farming, Promoting Prosperity, Inspiring Invention

Abstract

Remarks by Sir John Daniel Commonwealth of Learning at the Launching Ceremony of the Lifelong Learning for Farmers Project, University of Ruhuna, Mapalana, Kamburupitiya // I am delighted to be back in Sri Lanka for the second time this year and I greet you all, most especially the farmers who are with us, on behalf of the Commonwealth of Learning. // This is the third of these ceremonies that I have attended. In 2007 I went to Hambantota to launch the Welligatte Lifelong Learning for Farmers project that is under the aegis of the University of Colombo. The central thrust of the project is to help farmers grow sour bananas from tissue culture. That visit marked me. I was amazed by way that L3 Farmers was increasing farmers’ incomes and highly impressed by the way that local women, fresh from high school, were doing the high-technology work of producing tissue cultures in sterile laboratories.