The importance of biogas in the energy mix in Poland and Latvia is very low. In Poland, 306 million m³ of biogas is produced annually, and in Latvia, 56 million m³. The share of energy from agricultural biogas in Latvia is 1.6%, and in Poland, only 0.12%. This study analyzed the impact of the structure on CO₂ emissions from agricultural biogas production in Latvia and Poland. The emission was determined in accordance with the EU directive. The structure of substrates was dominated by those from the second generation, i.e., manure and food waste. In Latvia, it was 70%, and in Poland, 78%. The manure share was 45% and 24%, respectively. The anaerobic digestion of manure guarantees high GHG savings thanks to the avoided emissions from the traditional storage and management of raw manure as organic fertilizer. The level of emissions from the production of agricultural biogas was calculated for the variant with the use of closed digestate tanks, and it was about 10–11 g CO₂/MJ, which is comparable to the emissions from solar photovoltaic sources. When using open tanks, the emission level was twice as high, but it was still many times less than from the Polish or Latvian energy mix. Such a low level of emissions resulted from the high share of manure. The level of emission reduction reached 90% compared to fossil fuels. The use of second-generation feedstock in biogas production provides environmental benefits. Therefore, if wastes are used in biogas generation, and the influence on the local environment and overall GHG emissions is positive, authorities should support such activity.

The role of local food products in the food system of West European countries tends to increase. Currently, the economic aspects of food in most of the western world are no longer dominant in decision-making, and consumers are willing to pay more for prosocial food. The present research examines support for prosocial food among consumers in Latvia. A consumer survey conducted in Latvia (n = 1000) revealed attitudes and behavior in relation to: (a) food and shopping convenience values; (b) economic values; (c) prosocial values of food consumption (local and environmental friendly food). The purpose of the survey was to make quantitative measurements that reveal the main trends in the society of Latvia and what values are important for consumers, depending on their family status, level of education, place of residence and income level. The scientific discourse reveals that more support for prosocial food is observed among higher-income households living in a city which have children and higher education. Surprisingly, the research results did not confirm this. Although the support of this consumer segment for such food is relatively high, it is lower than that of other consumers. Perhaps the explanation should be sought in the broader context of life values, e.g., sentimental feelings caused by travel rather than belongingness to a particular place; or, it is possible that hedonism prevails in the awareness of social and ecological reality and each person’s responsibility for it, which could be further research problems.

Agriculture is a major energy consumer and a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. As the world’s population grows, increasing food production while reducing energy use presents a critical challenge. This study examined the trends in direct energy input productivity in agriculture across European Union (EU) countries from 2010 to 2021, focusing on the impact of structural factors, including production scale, mechanization, intensity, and output composition. The results showed a gradual decline in energy productivity, averaging a 1.04% annual decrease, reaching EUR 344,000 per terajoule (TJ) in 2021. Higher mechanization and production intensity improved energy productivity, while larger production scales and a greater share of animal farming had negative effects. Given the current trends of production expansion and extensification, further progress in energy productivity in agriculture appears limited. Policy measures should prioritize optimizing animal production’s share and adopting a sustainable use of renewable energy to lower the dependency on non-renewable fossil fuel sources. Future strategies must balance high agricultural output with sustainable energy consumption per food unit.

Feeding livestock a balanced diet with a differentiated crude protein (CP) content, depending on the lactation phase can reduce nitrogen emissions from livestock excrement and urine. A higher content of non-starch polysaccharides in livestock diets improves feed absorption in the livestock body and, consequently, nitrogen is emitted more from protein present in livestock manure than from urea acid present in livestock urine. The aim of the study is to calculate the ammonia emission reduction potential in Latvia by optimizing the feeding of dairy cows and ensuring life longevity, as well as provide justification for ammonia emission reduction in dairy farms. Calculations made by using the NorFor Model for optimization of dairy cow (Bos primigenius f. taurus) diets revealed that compared with lowyielding cows, a higher CP content diet fed to high-yielding cows at the beginning of lactation increased the amount of nitrogen (N) in their excrement and urine by 90–180 g d-1. Reducing the CP content in the cow diet by an average of 10 g kg-1 dry matter (DM) during mid-lactation resulted in the same trend. Reducing the CP content in the cow diet during late lactation and the dry period by another 20–30 g kg-1 of DM, N emissions from excrement and urine significantly decreased. Increasing the lifespan of dairy cows also means reducing ammonia emissions from the farm. By increasing the number of lactations per cow on dairy farm, it is possible to reduce the number of heifers per cow. The total reduction of ammonia emissions in Latvia was calculated based on a long-term projection of a decrease of 0.1 heifer per dairy cow. Ammonia emissions could be reduced by 0.051 kt by decreasing the number of heifers by 12.54 thou. at the planned increase in the lifespan of dairy cows by 2030.

Bioregions are examples of true sustainable development. The desire for sustainability within local communities leads to agreements and the formation of bioregions in which sustainable development is based on practical action. This paper analyzes the concept of bioregions, emphasizing holistic approaches applied to, and relationships with, economic, environmental and social factors in pathways and the pace of specialization for the development of territories, thereby complementing the agricultural dimension and paying special attention to the application of organic farming techniques. The formation of bioregions is based on the desires of local communities, but at the same time, we believe that there are objective factors that influence the development of bioregions. Thirteen factors that could affect the creation of bioregions were selected using factors referred to in research papers, as well as by adding original ones. These factors can be divided into the sustainable agriculture and tourism groups, in which high values indicate a high potential for the formation of bioregions, as well as the intensive agriculture factor group, where high values indicate the benefits of large-scale economies that hinder the formation of bioregions. Cluster analysis identified six potential bioregions in Latvia, each with distinct socio-economic, environmental, and agricultural characteristics: the metropolitan region (dominant indicator-PIT per capita, value 890 EUR), the tourism cluster (dominant indicator—tourists served as a % of the total population, value 28%), the extensive agriculture cluster (dominant indicator—organically certified UAA, value 14,645 ha), the nature and education cluster (dominant indicator—protected areas, value 7587 ha), the intensive agriculture cluster (dominant indicator—profit from productive land, value 278 EUR ha⁻¹), as well as a non-specialized cluster (no strongly dominant indicators). This paper describes each cluster and discusses its potential for bioregion development.