To mark World Soil Day (5 December), the State Plant Protection Service (VAAD) is publishing an analysis of data on the agrochemical properties of soil.

VAAD holds data on the agrochemical properties of soil going back to 1992. The volume of data grows every year: in 2023, 52,331 ha were surveyed at the request of farmers and under the national monitoring programme. On average, 200,000 ha are surveyed over a five-year period, or one tenth of all agricultural land in Latvia. Data on soil condition and fertility is essential for farmers and for sustainable land management, and when the data is viewed over a longer period it makes it possible to assess the current state of the soil and how it is changing.

VAAD also carries out monitoring of mineral nitrogen in soil in the particularly sensitive area and monitoring of soil carbon across the whole territory of Latvia.

https://www.vaad.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/dati-par-augsnes-stavokli