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Increases in bioresources and food production in the world have become objective needs. Production expansion increases the impact on the sustainability of the natural environment and ecosystems. The sustainability of the natural environment is ensured through the creation of specially protected areas. The planning of local municipality economic development should consider the management categories of protected areas, which is an important global standard for planning, design and management. This paper presents an overview of what impact the nature conservation area had on local economic development in Latvia. By using data from the State Land Service and the Central Statistical Bureau, the paper summaries and explains statistical information about the sizes of Latvian territories protected to various degrees from the current standpoint of nature conservation processes. The data have been collected for the period from 2010 to 2018. According to the data of the State Land Service, the total protected area in the year 2018 was 771278.19 thou. ha or 12.28 % of the total land area of Latvia. The proportion of protected nature territories in 110 municipalities of Latvia was in the range from 0% in Stopini municipality to 68% in Ligatne municipality. A statistical analysis of the data found that in the year 2018 the Territory Development Index for municipalities with a proportion of protected nature territories in the total area from 0% to 2.6% was (negative) - 0.16; for municipalities with a proportion of protected nature territories ranging from 2.6% to 7%, the index was - 0.24; for municipalities with a proportion of protected nature territories from 7% to 17%, the index was - 0.16; for municipalities with a proportion of protected nature territories ranging from 17% to 68%, the index was - 0.15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Latvian agriculture has achieved remarkable progress with regard to crop production over the past decade, which has resulted in constantly growing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture. Currently, the agricultural sector is the second largest source of GHG emissions, accounting for 21.5% of the total GHG emissions in the country, and the key source of GHG emissions is direct nitrous oxide emissions from soil, which are largely the result of nitrogen applied. Such trends indicate that without additional measures Latvia cannot reach its GHG emission targets set internationally. In this paper, authors aim to select measures that have potential to reduce the GHG emissions from the Latvia's crop production sector by using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach. Within the hierarchical structure of decision-making process, four factor groups affecting implementation of measures were evaluated: economic, social, environmental and technological factors. The study results indicated that the potential to reduce emissions from crop production sector is limited by technology as technological factors play the most important role in the process of implementation of GHG emission-reducing measures. Study results showed that reduction of direct N2O emissions can be achieved through several alternatives from which, according to experts' rating, the most important is such GHG emission reducing measures that promote accurate management of nitrogen circulation and introduction of an organic management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural sector has shown a stable and steady growth in Latvia, and the year 2015 was the most successful for Latvian grain growers. The largest grain harvest was collected that year. Nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) fertilizers are an essential factor that determines the quantity and quality of the crops harvested. However, over-fertilization can lead to negative economic and environmental consequences such as high production costs, depletion of energy resources and increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Emissions from agricultural soils contributed to the major share of the total emissions from the sector - 53.7 %. N (pure nitrogen content) fertilizer application management is essential in improving the mentioned indicators. Traditionally, N fertilizers have been applied uniformly across the entire field while ignoring inherent spatial variation in the crop N needs within the crop fields. This results in either too little or too much application of N in various parts of the fields. Too little N reduces the yields, while too much N reduces the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). The aim of the research study is to examine the opportunities to reduce direct N2O emissions from N (nitrogen content) fertiliser application in crop farming using the constant and variable N fertiliser spreading technologies. In the present research study, the authors have carried out an N fertilizer efficiency assessment to understand the evolution of cereal production in Latvia by using precision farming experimental data. Suitable qualitative and quantitative research methods were applied in the research. The research found that the use of the variable N fertiliser spreading technology led to a decrease in the consumption of N (pure nitrogen) fertilisers, as the average fertiliser application rate in the case of variable fertiliser spreading decreased by 10 kg.ha-1, which, in its turn, reduced CO2 emissions by 46.8 kg.ha-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land resources are not fully exploited for agricultural production in Latvia. According to the Rural Support Service, in 2013 approximately 400 thousands ha of agricultural land were not declared for Single Area Payment Scheme. Increases in bioresources and food production in the world have become objective needs. Exploiting these land resources provides a possibility to increase agricultural output and economic efficiency in Latvia's rural areas. Yet, agricultural growth in Latvia's rural areas may not be in contradiction with sustainable development principles. It is necessary to intensify agricultural production by increasing agricultural output and contributing to comprehensively achieving sustainability indicators. To ensure sustainable intensification of Latvia's land resources, a theoretical model for calculating sustainable intensification indicators for agricultural holdings in Latvia, which involves social, economic, environmental and innovative sustainability, is being developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Latvia the production resource - land is not exploited efficiently, and there is a large potential for land to be used in efficient agricultural production. National task is set for the next years in Latvia to retain agricultural land for agricultural production, in order to efficiently manage approximately 2 million ha. The agricultural sector is an important source of nitric oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Increasing agricultural production is expected to increase the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Latvia. Emissions depend on the specialization and the farm grown products. Quantifying emissions from different specialization farms can identify the main sources of emissions and make decisions to reduce them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To comply with the requirements of EU Directive 2009/28/EC for using renewable energy sources (RES) in Latvia, the agricultural industry has to become a significant supplier of resources to energy producers and consumers. Agricultural crops have always been used for the production of food, feed, fibre, and fuel. Already in 2003, the program "Biofuel Production and Use in Latvia (2003-2010)" was approved. The approval of the program laid the foundations for a biofuels market. Biofuel production satisfies the domestic market demand, as well as the excess is being exported. At the end of the program, the government stopped supporting the biofuels industry. First-generation biofuel production is not competitive without government support. First-generation biofuel production technology could not overcome the development of the valley of death. Only the creation of bio-economy-based technologies for biofuel production can ensure its competitiveness [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bioeconomy is referred to as an economy of the 21st century, which replaces the 20th century economy based on fossil resources. The use of bioresources will facilitate the transition to low-carbon energy consumption, prevent climate changes, and replace the declining stocks of fossil resources. Bioresources of agricultural origin has a potential to become the central source of resources and to ensure the production of various chemicals, materials, and energy. At the same time, agricultural production has to continue meeting the demand for healthy and safe food and feed. Achieving these objectives in the European Union and also in Latvia has raised questions on the feasibility and sustainability of such an economy. The theoretical approach employed in examining the problem in the first section of the present paper reveals that by introducing a knowledge-based bioeconomy, the overall gains of the national economy will be made through two dimensions: deep processing of bioresources of agricultural origin and development of rural areas. There are all preconditions in Latvia to make all these potential gains. The second section of the paper analyses Latvia's targets regarding the security of electricity supply and the development of rural economy through fostering the construction of biogas facilities in rural regions. The key focus is placed on the flow and sustainability of bioresources of agricultural origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To comply with the requirements of the EU Directive 2009/28/EC for using renewable energy sources (RES) in Latvia, the agricultural industry has to become a significant supplier of resources to energy producers and consumers. An increase in the area sown with maize is forecasted by exploiting the unused agricultural land to expand biogas production. The agricultural area has decreased by 2% in Latvia over the recent decade, and 16% of its total agricultural area are not exploited anymore. Thus, agricultural land resources are available to produce intensively RES for biogas production in the future and to achieve the target set for renewables by 2020, so that the total capacity of biogas facilities reaches 61 MW. In 2011, totally 24 new biogas facilities with a total capacity of 29.38 MW started operating. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia has granted 59 licences to purchase electricity produced from biogas in compliance with the renewable power purchase obligation. It means that raw materials are needed for newly established biogas facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GHG emission reduction in the non-ETS (emission trading system) sector is a relevant component of environmental policies for the next programming period. Specific policy matters of the next programming period are unclear, yet in general, it is clear that the reduction of emissions or at least the introduction of emission abatement measures are binding on agriculture. A popular way how to analyse GHG emission abatement measures is to use a marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) that ranges the measures according to their costs and emission reduction potential. Such a research study has been done and the measures have been analysed in Latvia. A MACC, however, gives a relative notion of the effects of GHG emission abatement measures on sustainable development in Latvia. The research aim is to analyse the effects of GHG emission abatement measures on sustainable development in Latvia. The key instrument of the present research is Integrated Impact Assessment; according to it, experts from various fields identify the effects of GHG emission abatement measures on the economy, the environment and social development, determining its vector (positive/negative) as well as effect intensity (on a scale from 1 to 3). The results showed that some measures, e.g. promotion of biogas production, could have a negative effect in some sustainability sub-dimensions, yet overall the GHG emission abatement measures make positive and significant effects not only on the environment but also on sustainability at large. At the same time, it has to be taken into consideration that the effects identified by the experts are indicative and more research has to be done to make a more accurate assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latvia has been actively involved in reducing global climate change. However, since 2006, along with an increase in economic activity, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from Latvia's agricultural sector have tended to increase; besides, the agricultural sector is the second largest source of GHG emissions, in 2015 accounting for 24.2% of the total GHG emissions in the country. Such changes in GHG emissions from agriculture in Latvia indicate that without additional measures Latvia cannot reach its GHG emission targets set internationally as one of the EU strategic goals is to introduce low carbon farming in practice. Experience of different countries shows that several approaches may be applied to analyses of GHG reduction activities. This paper develops a marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) for crop farming applicable in Latvia's agriculture. A range of specific measures, which aims to foster effective fertilizer application and improve soil fertility were screened for their cost-effectiveness and mitigation potential using disaggregated approach. Results indicate that MACC approach is useful tool for understanding and motivating mitigation in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]