GHG emission reduction in the nonETS (emission trading system) sector is a relevant component of environmental policies for the next programming period. Specific policy matters of the next programming period are unclear, yet in general, it is clear that the reduction of emissions or at least the introduction of emission abatement measures are binding on agriculture. A popular way how to analyse GHG emission abatement measures is to use a marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) that ranges the measures according to their costs and emission reduction potential. Such a research study has been done and the measures have been analysed in Latvia. A MACC, however, gives a relative notion of the effects of GHG emission abatement measures on sustainable development in Latvia. The research aim is to analyse the effects of GHG emission abatement measures on sustainable development in Latvia. The key instrument of the present research is Integrated Impact Assessment; according to it, experts from various fields identify the effects of GHG emission abatement measures on the economy, the environment and social development, determining its vector (positive/negative) as well as effect intensity (on a scale from 1 to 3). The results showed that some measures, e.g. promotion of biogas production, could have a negative effect in some sustainability sub-dimensions, yet overall the GHG emission abatement measures make positive and significant effects not only on the environment but also on sustainability at large. At the same time, it has to be taken into consideration that the effects identified by the experts are indicative and more research has to be done to make a more accurate assessment.

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.

According to the Actor Network Theory, the local food system is a set of interconnected processes and social agents including municipalities as a business environment. In the context of rural studies, support for local food producers is important for local communities. By content analysis of the information available on the websites of Zemgale region’s municipalities and the opinions of municipal specialists on local support measures for entrepreneurs, the aim of the paper was to identify the activities of municipalities in local food systems. Within a context of local food systems, the authors revealed that municipalities in Zemgale region provide support activities in two main directions: food businesses and tourism activities. The analysis of business support measures showed that local food producers in municipalities are promoted and supported in a number of ways through branding, special events and trade facilitation, seminars and annual awards. Activities in the field of tourism revealed cooperation, involving local food producers in the tourism system and ensuring the recognition of local food products to a wider group of consumers. Integrating local food businesses into tourism routes and thematic activities, in other words making locally produced food an integral part of the tourism product, develops small and medium-sized enterprises that contribute to the socio-economic resilience and environmental sustainability of rural communities, local innovations and creativity. In Zemgale, municipal activities for support of local food producers in the context of COVID-19 crisis are strengthening rural communities thus supporting and helping entrepreneurs to adapt to changes.

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.

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