New natural meadow products to be developed in Latvia

Meadow tea baths, meadow ice cream, harvesting natural meadow plant seeds – these are just some of the ideas supported by the Latvian Nature Fund and the LIFE-IP LatViaNature small grant competition for innovative meadow product ideas. Twenty-eight applications from all over Latvia were submitted to the competition, and ten product ideas will receive grants ranging from €2,000 to €5,000. The new innovations will complement the more than 30 existing products and services that carry the "Natural Meadow Product" label.

The priority of the competition was to support innovative products or services originating from Latvia's natural meadows and which have business potential and public demand. The supported projects include both completely new natural meadow products and services, as well as significant improvements to existing products and services on the market that are labeled "Natural Meadow Product." Six projects will be implemented in Vidzeme and four in Kurzeme.

With grant funding, the range of Latvian natural meadow products will be expanded to include meadow tea, herbal brooms and mats, pancakes filled with beef from cattle raised on natural meadows, hinkaļi and čebureki, meadow ice cream and sorbets with a variety of new flavors. A new meadow service in Latvia will be the rental of bee hives. The collection and sale of natural meadow plant seeds, which is so necessary for the restoration of natural meadows, will also be developed, and the seeds will be collected using technology that is new to Latvia.  The competition also supported an educational service for children and young people, which will allow them to learn about natural meadows through games.

Funding has also been allocated to technological innovations that will improve the availability of meadow products and services to consumers, such as product dryers, freezers and production equipment. In order to extend the active visiting season, support will be provided for the improvement of meadow tourism sites.

"The applicants for the supported projects have developed their business ideas with a view to preserving and restoring natural meadows, while at the same time seeing new prospects for the use of meadow resources in business. The new products and services will be labeled "Natural Meadow Product" and will expand the range of high-quality local products available to consumers," says Inga Muižniece, manager of the "Natural Meadow Product" brand.

Grant applications were evaluated by a commission consisting of representatives from the Latvian Nature Fund, the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre, and the Nature Conservation Agency.

The grant competition is part of the development process of the "Natural Meadow Product" label created by the Latvian Nature Fund. The competition is being implemented as part of the LIFE-IP LatViaNature project.