First of a hundred "Organic farming here" signs installed in Kocēni parish
On EU Organic Food Day, the "Kaņepītes" farm in Valmiera municipality unveiled the first of a hundred signs that the Latvian Organic Agriculture Association will place at certified organic farms across the country. Similar signs will soon appear in nearly every Latvian municipality.
On September 23, the "Kaņepītes" farm in Kocēni parish, Valmiera municipality, became the site of the first sign in Latvia bearing the message "Organic farming here." It is the first of a hundred such signs that the Latvian Organic Agriculture Association (LBLA) is beginning to install this year to mark certified organic farms and fields throughout the country.
The sign's unveiling coincided with the European Union's Organic Food Day, which aims to raise public awareness of organic farming and its contribution to the environment, human health and rural development. According to LBLA, similar signs will soon be visible at organic farms in almost every Latvian municipality.
Organic farming in Latvia
Organic methods are currently used on roughly 351,000 hectares in Latvia — about a fifth of all agricultural land in use. The sector includes more than 4,100 organic farming enterprises.
Unveiling the sign at the farm's entrance road, "Kaņepītes" owner Guntars Antonijs said he hoped it would help residents better understand that choosing organic farming reflects a conscious decision that considers not only yields but also future generations.
LBLA board chairman Mārtiņš Gaiķēns said the new signs will serve as an important landmark, helping the public understand organic farming methods and their contribution to food production and rural land management, while also inviting the public to notice and appreciate the work of organic farmers.
Producing and installing the signs is part of LBLA's "SeptemBIOris" Organic Food Month campaign. LBLA brings together organic farmers, food producers and industry supporters, representing the interests of the organic sector in Latvia.
