Farm “Liepkalns” - first farm in Latvia receives a sustainable agricultural certificate
Agriculture and climate technology company eAgronom has issued a first sustainable agricultural certificate in cooperation with Swedbank. It aims to promote the introduction of environmentally friendly agricultural practices and to provide more favourable financing conditions for farmers who are committed to sustaining sustainable farming. The farm “Liepkalns” is the first to receive this type of certificate in Latvia.
Aleksejs Danilin, owner of the Latvian farm “Liepkalns”, produces organic products in his family farm which have gained popularity throughout Latvia. He is the first to use the benefits of a sustainable agricultural certificate offered by eAgronom in collaboration with Swedbank.
About why you chose to log in to Alexei“For more than ten years, we did not hesitate.” It is pleasant to see that it is also assessed on the part of credit institutions. This certificate does not only once again confirm to our customers that we are using environmentally friendly agricultural practices on our farm, but it also significantly reduced our spending on the purchase of new machinery, ”says Alexei.
Swedbank is currently the only bank in Latvia that offers farmers more favourable lending and leasing financing conditions when assessing agricultural practices.
Swedbank's agricultural direction manager Rolands Zeltiņš notes that more environmentally friendly agriculture is becoming increasingly popular: “We have observed that the interest in moving to a sustainable lifestyle and farming model is growing, but it often also involves additional investments in modern technologies and the revision of existing farming practices. We therefore ensure favourable financing conditions for farmers who have received a sustainable agricultural certificate. In the future, we see a great deal of potential for farmers, not only receiving better financing conditions but also advantageous offers from other partners,” says R. Zeltins.
Diana Liv, eAgronom agronomer in Latvia stresses that the sustainable agricultural certificate does not only make a sustainable economy more profitable but improves the quality of soil in the long term: “practices to be respected by farmers in order to obtain a certificate” means ensuring the biodiversity of the soil. In keeping with these, natural processes are restored in the soil. It becomes more resistant to various factors, especially weather stress, such as excessive droughts and moisture periods. It also improves the quality of food from which we are all, says Diana and hopes that this initiative will help to restore the quality of soil in many Latvian farms.
A sustainable agricultural certificate is intended for holdings with crop rotation or one of the directions of activity is crop production. The certificate confirms that environmentally friendly agricultural practices are being carried out on the farm. It shall be issued after verification during which the data are analysed using satellite images, farm management software reports and, where appropriate, physical visits to the holdings.
If the holding meets the necessary criteria during the inspection, eAgronom shall issue a sustainable agricultural certificate. By presenting it to Swedbank, it is possible to obtain more favourable financing conditions for loan or leasing.
For eAgronom:
The agricultural and climate technology company eAgronom provides financial benefits to sustainable farmers and offers farm management software. In Latvia, eAgronom has been active since 2017 and currently manages more than 160 thousand hectares of agricultural land in Latvia and more than a million hectares of agricultural land across Europe.
Prepared by: Ritvars Podzins, eAgronom marketing and communications
