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This paper seeks to analyse the prospects of locally grown soya in substituting imported soybean meal used in pig feeding in Latvia. Soybean meal is a superior source of protein in compound feeds due to its high protein contents and amino acid composition, but the EU is vastly dependent on the import of plant proteins, with the imports of soya for feed dominating. Latvia also imports considerable quantities of soybean meal that is close to the total production of local protein plants. Owing to potential economic b...

The article presents the analysis of the environmental benefits from the optimization of urban traffic flow or from the measures to alleviate slow traffic flow (congestions). The environmental benefits are evaluated by assessing the decrease in the external costs due to the reduced emissions of such pollutants as carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. The emissions of pollutants are estimated according to the calculations of fuel consumption. To asses the potential environmental benefits, th...

There is a substantial deficit in proteins of plant origin in the EU countries ? the selfsufficiency level in feed use of soybean meal, which is one of the best plant protein sources, reaches only 5%. It causes the EU to import large quantities of soybeans (~14 million tonnes) and soybean meal (~18 million tonnes), the majority of which comes from Argentina and Brazil, resulting in very long soya delivery chain and associated GHG emissions from its transportation. At the same time, different statistical data confi...

The article deals with the cost-benefit analysis of Short Rotation Woody Crops plantations (SRC) for local supply chains and heat use. There are analysed benefits and costs (expenditure) from the positions of farmers (land operators). The cost-benefit analysis has been carried out by applying the method of discounted cash flow as this method allows assessing the entire life cycle of the plantations including initial establishment of the plantation and several rotation cycles. There are assessed the plantations in ...

The article presents a novel approach to the evaluation of the economic potential of grasslands. The economic potential of grasslands is evaluated by assessing the heat energy potential of grass (both in energy and monetary terms), based on two products пїЅ methane (biogas) and grass pellets. This approach provides an alternative to the assessment of the economic potential of grasslands, and it is specially intended for situations when grasslands are unmanaged due to low demand for grass biomass as a fodder. The e...