UNHIDE Agroforestry - A Knowledge Exchange Latvia- Sweden 2023-25 - Report - 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. Together with the farm, they inherited
recipes, gardening knowledge, and farming traditions from Jānis’ grandmother and grandfather,
scientists and agronomists at the Skrīveri Agricultural Institute. Based on the conclusion that “organic farming is more sustainable, economically
sound and has a higher average yield potential,”
they founded Ragāres in 1982. Today, the herb
farm is well known in Latvia.
Sid 11-12
Around 100 edible fruits, berries, herbs, and
medicinal plants are cultivated on 7.5 hectares
according to permaculture principles. The farm is
situated on a hill overlooking the river Daugava.
At its centre are residential and warehouse buildings, as well as a more labour-intensive commercial garden with a greenhouse where, at the time
of the visit, chilli, physalis, tomatoes, and lemongrass were grown among other crops.
Surrounding this core area, the garden extends
Rubus idaeus.
