LSIWC Researcher Oskars Grīgs at the LBLA Board Meeting: Science at the Centre of Sectoral Decision-Making
The Board meetings of the Latvian Organic Farming Association (LBLA) serve as an important sector-wide platform where organic agriculture policy issues are discussed, strategic decisions are taken, and research with direct practical relevance for farms is presented. It was in precisely such a setting that on 23 January 2026, at the premises of the Ministry of Agriculture, the leading researcher of the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Dr. sc. ing. Oskars Grīgs, introduced Board members to the progress of the Subt4Potato project and its next steps.
This was not the first occasion on which an LSIWC researcher engaged with farmers to discuss the practical potential of producing and applying microbiological preparations. During the course of the project, the concept of microbiological preparation production has already been presented to broader audiences in various regions of Latvia, including field days and exhibitions, where initial prototype formulations were also demonstrated. The LBLA Council meeting represented the next logical step, placing the scientific results within a broader context of sectoral policy and practical implementation.
In his presentation, Oskars Grīgs spoke about the technology that enables the cultivation of plant-beneficial microorganisms under farm conditions, the development of bioreactor prototypes, and the first conclusions drawn from field trials in Priekuļi, Viļāni and the Aloja area. He also emphasised that the project’s objective is not limited to laboratory results, but rather the development of a practically applicable technology whose economic viability can only be properly assessed through close dialogue and collaboration with farmers. Farms or cooperatives interested in producing microbiological preparations on-site are invited to complete the survey questionnaire. The survey will help identify such farms/cooperatives and assess their technical capacities.
“Building dialogue and collaboration was one of the main objectives of the presentation: to gather feedback on farmers’ interest in producing microbiological preparations themselves, to reach out to potential participants for the final conference, and to outline a network of cooperation among various Rural Support Service projects in Latvia that are working with similar technologies,” stresses Dr. sc. ing. Oskars Grīgs.
The results of the Subt4Potato project are planned to be presented at a final conference at the end of 2026. The conference will target implementers of thematically related Rural Support Service–funded projects as well as end users of the developed results and products, with the aim of promoting experience exchange across the wider sector.
About the Subt4Potato Project
The full title of the project is “Production and application of a microbiological preparation under farm conditions for increasing yield in horticulture and crop farming enterprises” (Project No. 24-00-C0LA1601-000032). It is being implemented within the framework of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) LA16 measure.
The project is led by the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry in cooperation with the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Economics, Ltd. “Aloja Agro” and Ltd. “Aloja-Starkelsen”. The project runs until December 2026 and has a total budget of EUR 299,997, of which EUR 269,997 is co-financed by the ERDF.
