Guidelines for sustainable farming developed for Latvian agricultural holdings

The Latvian Agricultural Organisation Cooperation Council (LOSP), working with the Latvian Sustainability Cluster, has produced the "Guidelines for Achieving Sustainability Goals in Agriculture in Latvia". The document is aimed at farming professionals and collects practical recommendations on applying sustainability principles in everyday farm management while preserving the holding's economic stability and development prospects. The guidelines can be downloaded free of charge.

The work was carried out under the project "Informing Latvian agricultural professionals and developing guidelines for achieving sustainability goals in agriculture" (No. EKII-9/26), financed by the Emission Allowance Auction Instrument.

Five challenges for farms

The material states that farm operations are increasingly shaped by energy costs, climate and weather risks, soil quality, water availability and excess, and financial stability. The aim of the guidelines is to show how these aspects can be considered together to improve a farm's efficiency, resilience and competitiveness.

Six areas

The document covers six topics:

• use of renewable energy on farms;
• carbon farming, including improving soil health and crop rotation;
• financial sustainability of farms and the assessment of investments;
• soil conservation, including maintaining organic matter;
• water resource management;
• existing and future European Union support instruments for farm modernisation.

The authors stress that these areas are interlinked. For example, investment in energy efficiency should be assessed together with the farm's financial capacity.

For farms of different sizes

The guidelines are intended for small family farms as well as medium-sized and large agricultural businesses. For a smaller farm, a first step may be regular analysis of production costs, an assessment of soil condition or a review of energy consumption. Larger farms may be more interested in bigger investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, precision farming technologies or water management systems. Before investing, it is advisable to weigh costs, expected benefits and long-term impact on the farm.

The guidelines may also be useful to agricultural advisers and sector organisations. They and other project materials are available on the website of the Latvian Sustainability Cluster.