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A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FARMING INTENSITY IN LATVIA
Abstract
This paper aims to explore the degree of intensification and extensification of agricultural practices followed by farms of different economic sizes and the type of farming in Latvia. While intensification is considered as an effective way of achieving agricultural independence at supra-national and national levels, more voices are raised against an increasing demand for energy and unsustainable agricultural activities causing irreparable damage to natural habitats and reducing biological diversity. Although farming intensity has become a high-profile topic and attracted not only great interest of scholars and the general public but also attention of environmental protection organizations, national governments and the EU, there is still a dearth of research on the latest trends in farming intensity in Latvia. This paper attempted to fill this gap in the literature by examining the extent to which agricultural production has become more or less intensified over the years since Latvia?s accession to the EU in 2004. A statistical analysis was based on data obtained from the EU Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN). A lack of data on farms of certain size and type like horticulture, granivores and other permanent crops was the most important limitation that made a comprehensive analysis of the agricultural production problematic. While on average the intensity of production has remained the same, agricultural practices became more intense on farms growing fieldcrops and dairy farms. In comparison with farms of mixed type where the average degree of intensification remained the same, there was a downward trend towards extensification on farms cultivating other grazing livestock.
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