UNHIDE Agroforestry booklet 2025.09.22 - Flipbook - Page 40
Ragāres: Forest gardening, Latvia
Jānis Vaivars shows how hazel bark is used to make tea.
RAGĀRES HERB FARM in Skrīveri municipality,
80 km from Riga is run by Jānis Vaivars and his
small family, who, along with the farm also inherited recipes, gardening and farming traditions
from Jānis’ grandmother and grandfather, scientists and agronomists at Skrīveri Agricultural
Institute. Based on the conclusion that “organic
farming is more sustainable, economically sound
and has a higher average yield potential” they
started Ragāres in 1982. Now the herb farm is
well known in Latvia.
Sid 11-12
Around 100 edible fruits, berries, herbs and
medicinal plants are grown on 7.5 hectares according to permaculture principles. The farm is located on a hill with a magnificent view of the river
Daugava. In the centre there are residential and
warehouse buildings and a more labour-intensive
commercial garden with a greenhouse, where, at
the time of the visit, chilli, physalis, tomatoes and
lemon grass were grown among other crops.
All around, the garden branches out into room
Rubus idaeus.
