BERAS Latvia conference report 050419

BERAS LATVIA CONFERENCE 6 – 11 April 2005
The BERAS conference included ca 30 participants, mainly researchers from the eight
BERAS countries. Smaller WP meetings were held the day before the main conference which
was held in the Agricultural University of Latvia in the famous castle in Jelgava.
Photo 1 a. Jelgagva castle with main entrance from the courtyard and 1 b from the
outside showing its location on the island in the river Lielupe running to the Baltic
Sea. The university castle is a smaller version of the Russian Winter Palace (the
same famous architect). Dukes from earlier times are buried in the tombs under the
castle. The castle was badly damaged after the war but is well restored for university
use.
The more than 20 scientific presentations made at the conference on the 7th of April are
available in a separate report based on the power-point presentations in electronic form. It has
been sent out to all BERAS-workers.
Photo 2. The meeting was held in the beautiful bottom valves in the castle. is Salla
Kakriainen from BERAS-Finland who chaired the conference effectively holding us to
our very tight program is seen above with the red and yellow cards on the table in
fronty of her. As BERAS-coordinator I am very grateful for her excellent work. Behind
and to the left is Dzidra Kraismani from the Agricultural University in Latvia. Standing
on left hand is John Sumelius, Professor in Agricultural Economy at Helsinki
University in intensive discussions with Annamari Hannula from Joensuu University in
Finland, both of whom are working with the consumer study.
Farm visit in Latvia 8 April 05
The day after the main BERAS conference we visited Laukgali farm, Biksti Parish, Dobele
District. With a total of 25 ha organic arable land their main activity is poultry production:
hens, broilers, guinea- fowls, pheasants, turkeys, geese and ducks. The house keeper, Merija
Vilüna, built up this recently on her parents farm. She is a very active person who has also
started a cooperative and is now building a slaughter house on the farm for them. The demand
from the market is larger then the production and they hope together to increase the
production which includes eggs and meat for the green market and Riga restaurants including
Restaurant Vincents, owned by the famous cook in Latvia Märtins Ritins.
Photo 3a. At the Laukgali farm, Biksti Parish, Dobele District the house keeper
Merija Vilüna (left side in the picture speaking to the others in BERAS-group) and
Associate Professor Dzidra Kraismani of the University in Jelgava, who also is
President of the Organic Farmer Association in Latvia, gave us a good description of
organic initiatives. To the right are BERAS-econom Markus Larsson from Sweden,
environment adviser Ole Tyrested Jörgens from Fyns Amt in Denmark and Thomas
Schneider, water environment researcher from Sweden.
Photo 3b. Dzidra Kraismani speaking to the BERAS-group. Dzidra compared the
organic initiativs to the serious situation in large parts of the Latvian agriculture. (Note
the farm land in the background). After 1991 and with the loss of the Soviet market,
agriculture production, cattle breeding and meat production is only a fraction of what
it was earlier.
Photo 4. Visit at Laukgali farm, Biksti Parish, Dobele District. The grand finale , after
a big very tasty ecological meal of local products, the torte made with 30 ecological
eggs produced on the farm. This was also consumed with a great enthusiasm.
Standing in the centre is the farm owner Merija Vilüna together with most of the
BERAS researcher in the BERAS-Latvia conference with the “torte”. In picture start
from left side on the table Salla Kakriainen (Fi), Helena Kailuoto (Fi), Schäfer (de).
Next row, standing, from the left: Annamarie Hannula (Fi), Merija Vilüna (Latvia),
Artur Granstedt (Se), Laura Seppanen (Fi),Ib S Kristenssen (dk). In the back row
from left: Dzidra Kraismani (Latvia), Markus Larsson with the child (Se), Antto Vihma
(Fi), Olof Thomsson (Se), Holger Fisher (de), Marko Nousiainen (fi), Tiina.Lehto (Fi),
Ole Tyrsted Jörgensen (Dk), Pentti Seuri (Fi) and Thomas Schneider (Se).
Not in picture: Hans v Essen (Se), Miia Kuisma (Fi), Kari Vesala (Fi), Per Berg (Se),
Angelica Buesciena (Lithuania), Merit Mikk (Estonia), Airi Vetamaa (Estonia), Maria
(Pl) and Jaroslav Stalenga (Pl).
Trip in Latvia countryside visiting Renda and the BERAS project Livslust on 10 April
2005 by Artur Granstedt and Pentti Seuri
The land is partly destroyed with kilometre after kilometre of deserted and unused farmland,
partly invaded with increasing numbers of bushes and trees. This is the consequence of two
occupations that destroyed the older agricultural landscape and infrastructure in the
countryside. More recently was the collapse of the large scale soviet system kolkhozes farms
in 1991 and the loss of the Soviet market prior to joining the EU.
Photo 5. Forest and bushes take over part of the uncultivated agricultural land.
Latvia was, like Estonia and Lithuania, subjected to the unfair dumping of the EU agricultural
surplus products at prices far below costs for the country’s own agricultural production (like
today’s days dumping in the third world). Throughout the whole county there are, like in
Estonia and Lithuania, a lot of empty run-down Kolkhozes buildings and older more or less
dilapidated farm buildings from before the occupation periods. In some of them very poor
mainly elderly people still live. There are also heavy alcohol and social problems of
unemployed people residing in the countryside.
Photo 6. Destroyed remnants of farm building. It appears that people live in the middle part
of the building.
Most of the youth have moved to the cities and mainly to the region of Riga where nearly a
third of all people in Latvia are living today. It is depressing for many people who have deep
roots in, and feeling for, the nature to see the poor agricultural landscape. In this situation the
increasing number of new organic farming initiatives such as the one described above are
very important and projects like BERAS has can play a key role.
In Renda, a small village near Kuldiga, about 100 km west of Riga at one of the BERAS
farms, an ecological elementary school has been established. Here the children are learning
about ecological conditions for a sustainable life and gardening. The school has been build up
with very limited resources but with high commitment from parents and teachers.
Photo 7. Renda ecological elementary school is situated in an old beautiful park, At
the beginning of 19th century prior to the occupations it was the main building for the
owner of the farmland of Renda. It was partly destroyed and has now been properly
rebuild.
The next phase of the BERAS project will focus on education at different levels. A Swedish –
Latvia cooperation project “livslust”(Asociaija Dzivesprieks, Aizupe, Vanes pagasts, Tukuma
rajons) has been established. This project has the special protection of the Swedish queen
Silvia who also has been there. Young girls and boys coming from poor social conditions,
many of whom are orphans, are living there, go ing to school and learning different kinds of
work, handcraft and also agriculture. We are now planning for how the large agriculture
belonging to the school can be converted according the principles of ecological recycling
agriculture (ERA).
Photo 8. The Swedish – Latvia cooperation project “livslust” (Asociaija Dzivesprieks),
about 80 km west from Riga.
Photo 9. BERAS –researcher Pentti Seuri (Agro Food research, Finland) in wood –
workshop together with co-workers in “livslust” (Asociaija Dzivesprieks). On the right
in the photo stands friendly and engaged Nikola . She was a former student at the
school and has had herself a very difficult childhood. Today she is a very important
person with responsibility for textile handcraft and supervisor of the special
introduction of new children coming to the school with terrible backgrounds.
Meeting with the Latvian agricultural minister 11 April 05.
This meeting was attended by: Minister of Agriculture Martins Roze, Assistant special
organic farming Baila Holemane, associate Professor Dzidra Kraismani from the University
of Agriculture in Latvia, Senior Researcher Pentti Seuri from Agro-food Research in Finland,
Associate Professor Artur Granstedt from Biodynamic Research Institute and Swedish
University of Agriculture Sciences in Sweden. This meeting was organised after the Latvia
BERAS-conference in order to present conclusions made and the perspectives for the future.
1. Dzidra Kraismani gave a short introduction and each visitor gave a short
presentation of himself and his role in BERAS-project.
2. AG gave a 20- minute introduction to the BERAS project. This included: formal data
over the project (economical structure, partners); background to the project initiative
with the principles for sustainability of interaction between human activities and
natural ecosystems (renewable energy, recycling and diversity of life); the serious
environmental situation of the Baltic sea; the differences in impacts from agriculture
in Sweden, Denmark and Finland compared to the very low intensive agriculture in
the Baltic countries and the historical background for that; principles for ecological
recycling agriculture and the causes of the high surplus and losses of nitrogen
resulting from the lost connection between crop and animal production; the case
study BERAS- farms in 8 countries to evaluate the potential of ERA (ecological
recycling agriculture) as a way to close the nutrient circle and reduce input to and
losses from the agriculture. In the BERAS conference in Latvia it was concluded
that it is possible to reduce the load of nitrogen by half and also reduce the
phosphorus load from agriculture through effective recycling between animal and
crop production. AG also described the structure of the five work packages of the
BERAS project which include environmental, natural science, economical and
sociological evaluations of the cases. It is also important to include society in the
principles of recycling. Local and regional networks with the interaction between
agriculture processing, distribution and consumption are essential parts of the
BERAS-project and are being studied as special cases in the respective countries.
The reduc tion of greenhouse gases and the responsibility for the biodiversity are also
included. Lastly AG thanked Dzidra Kraismani for the successful BERAS
international conference at the University of Agriculture and the stronger links
between BERAS –countries and Latvia that have now been established.
3. P.S. described the Juva case including the farmers cooperation with milk processing,
the study of the improvement of the local economy and how this has also stimulated
the whole region to develop several organic farms.
4. 4. D.C. described the similar types of initiatives in Latvia with the farmer
cooperation in Aizkraukle district where there are many organic farms. There the
prerequisites for development of organic agriculture exist: safe and uncontaminated
nature, close to markets, use of local raw materials and labour force resourses, good
co-operation with advisory service (learning, training, information, support),
possibilities for processing. The District Council is engaged in environmental
planning in the region. Statistics from the increase of organic farming in Latvia was
presented and the significance of organic agriculture according to the BERAS
project was emphases for rebuilding the agriculture and countryside in Latvia.
5
6
Minister of Agriculture Martins Roze gave an impression of appreciating the whole
presentation, both its relevance for the rebuilding of the agriculture sector as well as
the principles of Ecological Recycling Agriculture (ERA-farms) as a possible
solution to reduce the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. He thanked us for the
interesting information and wondered what kind of question we might have to the
Ministry of Agriculture for the initiatives.
A.G. responded with two questions. First about support to the BERAS project and
preparation for possible national funds for BERAS-implementation with a focus on
converting conventional agriculture and the learning process of ecological recycling
agriculture (BERAS implementation stage). Second, about support to the
recommendations from the project which can decrease the pollution to the
environment and develop a self-sufficient agriculture. It is important that agricultural
subsides within EU are allocated to develop an ecological, recycling agriculture
within EU’s own market rather than being used to support a system which give s both
environmental problems and costly dumping of surplus agricultural products in third
world countries (as was previously done in Baltic countries).
Number of organic farms in Latvia
1200
1043
1000
800
550
number 600
352
400
200
0
219
39
63
78
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
year
Figure 1. The number of ecological (organic) farms has increased dramatically the last five
years (partly during the same time the BERAS project has been working). This includ es
several local processing projects.
7
The Minister seemed to be in agreement with the proposals and about project
resources. He informed us that there already now is a process in the budget for
special INTERREG co-financing which can be good for this type of project
initiative.
8 AG asked the Minister to comment about the agricultural situation in Latvia and
what he thought about the initiatives they had presented.
9 M.R. briefly described the big problem of 1 million ha unused arable land (of 2,5
million total), land which until recently was cultivated agricultural land, an
environmental difficult situation without simple solutions according what was
described above. EU support combined with ecological agriculture can provide new
possibilities. (The description earlier by AG about that the Baltic countries not
having to make the same mistakes of too high degree of specialisation was well
received during the earlier introduction).
10 Finally AG gave thanks for a good meeting and the possibility to inform about the
BERAS-project and that they will receive an invitation to the final BERAS
conference in January next year in Sweden (at the Culture house in Ytterjärna).
Copies of the latest published BERAS reports were given to the minister and
assistant.
11 Dzidra Kraismany declared that she was very satisfied with the meeting and that this
information was very important for the evaluation process of applications given to
the ministry to support ecological recycling agriculture initiatives.
Photo 10. Minister of Agriculture Martins Roze, Department specialist in organic
farming Baila Holemane, Associate Professor Dzidra Kraismani from the
University of Agriculture in Latvia and Associate Professor Artur Granstedt
meeting in Riga the 11 April 2005. Senior researcher Pentti Seuri from Agrofood Research in Finland attending the meeting is behind the camera. On the
table can be seen a map over organic farms in Latvia, BERAS reports and the
BERAS-folder with the map over Baltic Sea drainage area.
Final dinner on the ecological restaurant in Riga.
Photo 11. Finally we (Dzidra Kraismani, Pentti Seuri and Artur Granstedt behind the
camera) had dinner together at one of the ecological restaurants in Riga with organic
products also from Merija Vilüna.