Latvian farming consultant visits Austria to study cooperation and self-service farm shops
Agricultural consultant Liene Strazdiņa from Smiltene parish toured 18 farms in Austria's Styria region under an Erasmus+ exchange, gaining insights into farmer cooperation and self-service shops that she believes could be adapted in Latvia.
In September, eight representatives of Latvia's agriculture and food production sector traveled to the Styria region of Austria as part of an Erasmus+ individual mobility program to learn about local farms, food producers and models of farmer cooperation. Among the participants was Liene Strazdiņa from Smiltene parish, who works as an agrotechnical consultant at the company Timac Agro.
Cooperation as a core principle
During the trip, the delegation visited 18 different farms that varied widely in size and type of production. Strazdiņa was particularly struck by the Austrian approach to cooperation, where each farmer focuses on what they do best while relying on neighbors for everything else. She noted that in Latvia, cooperation among small farmers is growing but still cautious, whereas in Austrian farms actively join forces to offer customers a broader range of local products.
Self-service shops
One highlight for Strazdiņa was the self-service shops found on many Austrian farms, often open around the clock and selling not only the farm's own goods but also products from other local producers. She has personal experience in this area — her family farm "Saimnieki" ran a self-service shop for several years, though it is currently on pause. She suggested similar shops could be developed in Smiltene and elsewhere in Latvia, while acknowledging that concerns about security often hold back such initiatives in Latvia.
Tradition and family farming
The group also learned about Austrian rural traditions, including the autumn Almabtrieb procession, when cattle are ceremonially brought down from mountain pastures to the valley. Strazdiņa observed that on Austrian farms, farming is treated as a long-term family endeavor passed down through generations, and local producers place strong emphasis on telling the story behind their products and being transparent with customers.
Training during the mobility exchange was provided by the Styria Chamber of Agriculture. The program, "Educational short-term mobility in the field of cooperation among farmers and rural residents," is funded by the European Union.
