Researchers of the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research will participate in field work and will evaluate the course of soil research in Latvia

From Monday to Friday, from October 24 to 28, there will be a mid-term mission of the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) in Latvia to evaluate an implementation progress of the project “Enhancement of sustainable soil resource management in agriculture" of the Norway Financial Instrument and a practical run of the project, amongst others, also in various field works.

During the evaluation of the project run and sharing of experience, two NIBIO experts will be familiarized with the project operation, and they will discuss its implementation with Latvian partners. Within the week-long mission, NIBIO representatives together with the project partners, will inspect the test site of GHG emissions in Ogresgals, field activities of soil description and mapping in Taurene and field work of soil carbon monitoring in Sigulda area. NIBIO experts will also interview representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and the project partners from the Latvian Forest Science Institute SILAVA, the State Plant Protection Service and the Latvian University. After completion of the information evaluation, collected during the mission, NIBIO will prepare a mid-term report and provide recommendations to improve the project implementation if necessary. The major objective of the mission is progress evaluation of the project implementation and identification of areas, which special attention must be paid to. 
 

During the mission, Ine Måreng, the Norwegian Ambassador in Latvia will meet NIBIO experts as well as get acquainted with field work of the project and practical implementation.

The expected mission is one of three planned visits in the project implementation period. The first NIBIO mission, focusing on consultations in launching of the project, was held on-line in November and December 2021. During the first mission, there was a workshop organized, where the project implementation plan, activities and expected results have been discussed. In their first report on the first year of the project implementation, NIBIO experts concluded that Latvia has an urgent need for marshalling of soil data and restoration of the information.

The planned budget for the project is €1.83 million, consisting of €1.56 million of grant funding from Norway and €0.27 million of national co-financing.

Partners of the Ministry of Agriculture in implementation of the Norway Grants Climate and Environment Program 2014 – 2021 “Climate change mitigation, adaptation to them and the environment” in the pre‑defined project “Enhancement of sustainable soil resource management in agriculture" are the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, the Latvian Forest Science Institute SILAVA, the State Plant Protection Service and University of Latvia. The project implementation will go on till January 31, 2024.

Midterm evaluation

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