Life Long Learning for Farmers (L3Farmers): Open, distance and technology-mediated learning for extension for smallholders Colin Latchem, Open learning consultant, Perth, Australia Ajit Maru International Service for National Agricultural Research, The Hague, Netherlands Krishna Alluri, The Commonwealth of Learning, Vancouver, Canada “The gift of material goods makes people dependent. The gift of knowledge makes them free”. (E.F. Schumacher) INTRODUCTION The following paper summarises the authors’ report to the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) which was based on meetings at the 2 nd Pan Commonwealth Forum; a COL-initiated virtual conference (L3Farmers) on open, distance and technology- mediated learning strategies for agricultural extension and possible collaboration between the National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES), Consultative Group on International Research (CGIAR) and COL which involved over 90 agricultural researchers and developers across the globe; and desk studies. It discusses the transformation of extension for smallholders in low income countries, suggests how open learning and technology can help to achieve this, and outlines a plan of action in accord with COL’s Three year Plan, 2003-2006 and its aim of ‘addressing the massive need to improve knowledge and skills of small-scale farmers to enable them to participate in the increasingly complex food/market chains, and improve their livelihood’ (www.col.org/programmes/reporting/3year_plan.htm ). THE AGRICULTURAL CRISIS IN LOW INCOME COUNTRIES Most of the 5 billion people in low income countries depend on the land for their livelihoods. Seventy-five percent of the worldʹs poor live in rural South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and half of these live in regions where land is degraded and essential infrastructure lacking. These smallholders lack access to research, advisory and information services and cannot afford modern technology or improved crop and livestock varieties. They