In two municipalities, the share of organically farmed land has crossed the 40% mark, according to the BIO TOP 500 ranking of administrative territories compiled by the Latvian Biological Agriculture Association (LBLA).

On average across Latvia, the area of organically farmed agricultural land has grown to 350,900 hectares, or a fifth of all agricultural land in use.

In 19 Latvian municipalities, the share of organic farming is already above the national average. For the first time in history, Madona municipality (43%) and Alūksne municipality (40%) have crossed the 40% mark; the top five also includes Balvi municipality (39%) and Cēsis and Ludza municipalities (37% each). Madona municipality leads not only in the share of organic farmland but also in actual area, with 33,100 hectares. It is followed by Balvi municipality with 23,900 hectares and Ludza municipality with 20,000 hectares.

The opposite picture in the share of certified organic farmland is seen in some municipalities around Riga (Olaine – 2%, Salaspils – 7%, Ropaži – 8%), as well as in Saldus municipality – 6%. The lowest share of organic farmland is found in the municipalities of Zemgale (Jelgava and Dobele – 3%, Bauska – 7%).

The title of greenest parish by share of organic land goes to Lapmežciems parish in Tukums municipality, with 88%. By area, it goes to Šķilbēni parish in Balvi municipality, with 3,471 ha; this parish is home to the farm “Kotiņi”, which began converting to organic farming this year and, together with the associated farm “Sābri”, manages more than 5,000 ha of land across several parishes.

The greenest town by both share and area of organically farmed land is Salacgrīva (82% and 235 ha), followed by Kuldīga (78% and 86 ha) and Ilūkste (56% and 91 ha).

Madona municipality is also the leader in Latvia by number of organic farms, with 285 certified organic businesses. Next come Balvi municipality (270) and Preiļi municipality (250). By region, Vidzeme leads with 1,467 organic farms and other organic farming operators, followed by Latgale (1,296), Zemgale (500), Kurzeme (494) and the Riga region (341).

“Parishes and municipalities where a significant share of agricultural land is organically farmed are a benefit for the local economy, the environment and society alike. In the long term, Latvia needs to become the first pesticide-free country,” says LBLA director Mārtiņš Gaiķēns.

“Growth in organic farmland can have a snowball effect – in recent years, more and more conventional farmers have been choosing to switch to organic farming, because, as fertiliser and pesticide prices rise, they struggle to turn a profit,” he notes. “At the same time, it is good news for society and nature, since the area where substances harmful to the environment and to human health are not used keeps growing. The compiled TOP 500 shows that in almost 50 parishes in Latvia the share of organic farmland exceeds 50%, and that is a significant achievement for our sector. It is much easier for organic farmers to operate in regions with a high share of organic land, since there is less to worry about in terms of potential pesticide contamination from neighbouring conventional fields,” Gaiķēns explains.

In recognition of the contribution made by organic farming, the LBLA director is calling on municipalities to review their binding regulations and, going forward, apply real-estate tax relief to organically farmed land. Such a practice already exists in the municipalities of Sigulda, Cēsis, Limbaži, Tukums and Talsi.

The BIO TOP 500 was published in the latest issue of “BIOLOĢISKI”, the organic farming industry magazine put out by the LBLA. The list was compiled from statistics provided by the Rural Support Service on areas of agricultural land registered for support in 2026.

BIO TOP 10 municipalities by share of certified organic farmland

1. Madona municipality 43% 33,144 ha

2. Alūksne municipality 40% 11,145 ha

3. Balvi municipality 39% 23,949 ha

4. Cēsis municipality 37% 19,505 ha

5. Ludza municipality 37% 20,024 ha

6. Gulbene municipality 31% 13,327 ha

7. Kuldīga municipality 30% 18,225 ha

8. Preiļi municipality 29% 16,087 ha

9. Krāslava municipality 28% 16,451 ha

10. Limbaži municipality 28% 14,456 ha

BIO TOP 10 parishes by share of certified organic farmland

1. Tukums municipality, Lapmežciems parish 88.4%

2. Alūksne municipality, Zeltiņi parish 83.4%

3. Alūksne municipality, Kalncempji parish 82.5%

4. Gulbene municipality, Ranka parish 80.7%

5. Ogre municipality, Mazozoli parish 73.4%

6. Madona municipality, Sausnēja parish 72.4%

7. Madona municipality, Kalsnava parish 72.2%

8. Cēsis municipality, Zosēni parish 68.5%

9. Gulbene municipality, Druviena parish 68.2%

10. Madona municipality, Jumurda parish 65.8%