The purpose of this article is to address the quality assurance challenges for local governments in long-term elderly care. The research is based on the qualitative approach. Theoretical approach is based on active aging ideas and quality assurance principles. Authors have started analysis on how to adapt the quality principles of European Quality Framework for Long-Term Care Services in the Latvian elderly long-term care institutions. The experts’ view on evaluation is one of the methods of how to assess the quality principles in long-term care for elderly. The research results show different approaches to quality assurance principles and evaluation at the level of local and central government and the necessity to move towards a unified understanding. Experts emphasised the necessity to discuss quality principles in long-term care institutions and the division of responsibility for elderly care between the local and central government. The main findings are that none of the experts would like to spend the rest of their life, when they reach an old age, in a long-term institution. Principle ranking was successfully used in semi-structured expert interviews. The results show a great extent of variety in evaluating the quality principles of European Quality Framework for Long-Term Care Services in Latvian elderly long-term care institutions.

Nowadays, when the general rate of unemployment in Latvia is not that high anymore, there are still a lot of people who are unemployed for many years and during all those years they are abusing the budget of municipality by receiving social benefits. The aim of the article was to examine the way how the long-term unemployed social benefit receivers assess the meaning of support in job searching. On the basis of The Theory of Planned Behaviour a questionnaire was developed by the authors, 37 long-term unemployed social benefit receivers registered in Riga Social Service were asked to take part in the survey and gave informed consent. The results show that the respondents who are longer unemployed receive more support from their families. Statistically significant correlations (p=0.03) were found between the duration of unemployment and person’s determination to search a job, the unemployed who are longer without a job are less active in job searching process. Direct support in the job searching process is deeply connected with the possibility to share individual’s thoughts and emotions with the family. There is no statistically significant correlation between men and women responses.

This study was carried out to investigate the productivity and the natural disease resistance potential of free-ranging local chickens in Tanzania. A total of 84 adult free-ranging local chicken ecotypes were studied, namely: Mbeya, Morogoro-medium, Ching’wekwe, Kuchi and Singamagazi. Adult body weight, body length, shank length and egg weight were assessed and compared. Average body weight for hens and cocks was 1441g (800 to 2,300g) and 2261g (1000 to 3500g), respectively. Egg weight averaged 41.6g (27 to 72g). Mean body length for hens and cocks was 21.6cm (17 to 26cm) and 24.6cm (21 to 29cm), respectively, and mean shank length 9.7cm (7 to 12cm) and 12.7cm (8.5 to 15cm), respectively. Between ecotypes significant differences were seen in the above parameters. The disease resistance potential was tested on 10 offspring of each ecotype, excluding the Mbeya. Twenty chickens (five from each of the four ecotypes) aged 12 weeks were inoculated with Newcastle disease virus while another 20 aged 20 weeks were inoculated with Salmonella gallinarum. Five chickens per group that were not challenged were used as controls. Following oral, ocular and nasal drop inoculation with Newcastle disease virus, the chickens developed clinical signs of Newcastle disease as from day three after infection. Mortality started on day five after infection, and all but one chicken were dead by day seven after infection. The 20 chickens, infected orally with S. gallinarum, showed clinical signs of fowl typhoid on day three after infection. Mortalities started on day seven after infection and by day 12 after infection 13 chickens had died. Seven birds survived without visible signs of the disease, including all five from the Kuchi ecotype and one each of the Morogoro-medium and Ching’wekwe ecotypes. At necropsy enlarged and congested liver and spleen, and catarrhal enteritis of the small intestines were seen. The surviving birds were sacrificed on day 14 after infection. Neither the sacrificed surviving birds nor the controls showed the above necropsy picture. It was concluded that free-ranging local chicken ecotypes in Tanzania differ in both productivity and disease resistance potential.

The objective of this paper was to evaluate the productivity of three indigenous goat breeds from Ethiopia namely Abergelle (AB), Central Highland (CH) and Woyto-Guji (WG) based on their kids’ total live weight at three months (LWW), survival rate to three months (S3M) and average daily milk yield (ADM, for AB only). The LWW were standardized by year and post partum weight (ppw) of does. In addition, productivities expressed as the body weight of three months old kids produced per doe per year (index I) and per kg ppw per year (Index II) were also assessed. The overall least squares means of LWW for AB, CH and WG were 7.6, 15.3 and 10.2 kg, respectively. The overall mean of the ADM for AB was 367.10±139.79 ml. The S3M was 76.30%, 78.50% and 77.70%, for AB, CH and WG, respectively. Overall means of index I and index II were 14.7 kg and 0.50, respectively. Year of birth affected (p<0.05) LWW and S3M of AB, CH and WG as well as the indices. The ADM and S3M of AB and LWW of WG were also influenced ( p<0.001) by village of kidding. The LWW and S3M of the three breeds were not influenced (p>0.05) by sex of lambs. On the other hand parity of birth had clear influence (p<0.05) on ADM and S3M of AB and index I. Season of birth also had influence (p <0.001) on LWW of AB only. The CH does produce about 200% LWW of AB does and about 150% LWW of WG does. The CH was found to be the most productive breed in terms of all assessed parameters followed by WG. The AB was best suited for dual services (meat and milk). Hence, goat meat investment priorities in Ethiopia could target Central Highland goats. However, the productivity of these goat breeds should be improved in their respective localities by minimizing possible factors hampering their productivity

Latvia is a territorially small country with small open economy, and its main and the most competitive recourses are highly educated society and well developed science which is based on research, innovation and modern technologies. To create a well functioning innovation system as a part of knowledge-based economy, several conditions has to be met to insure that all parts of national innovation system effectively work together. This article is dedicated to analysis of financing mechanisms that can be used by research institutes in the field of agriculture in Latvia to ensure sustainable rural development. The research in the field of agriculture in Latvia is mainly performed by the state research institutes and research agencies of Latvia University of Agriculture. To provide favourable environment for development of research and science, there is set legislation framework and financing mechanisms such as base financing from the state budget, state research programmes, European Commission Framework Programmes, and the European Union (EU) Structural Funds assistance. The analysis has shown that support of EU Structural funds has positive impact on number of applied research carried out in research institutes in the field of agriculture in Latvia. EU Structural funds assistance helps to develop fundamental research activities and innovative approach to the science that is one of the preconditions for the development of states' competitiveness. In conclusion, the authors resume that it is necessary to establish a strong link between higher education institutions, research institutes, and entrepreneurs in the process of building effectively working national innovation system.

Innovation capacity has to be viewed as a consequence of properly operating innovation system. Well established and functioning innovation system is a result of enhanced by government innovation policy. In comparison with other European Union (EU 27) countries, innovation capacity indicators in Latvia remain low and considerably underperform, reflected in the 'European Innovation Scoreboard 2008', where Latvia took the 30th place among 32 countries. Problems and solutions are illustrated to represent innovation capacity in Latvia. This article consists of the following parts: first - theoretical aspects are selected to describe the essential definition of the analyzed subject. In the second part, experience from abroad is described, at the end – Latvian innovation policy and situation is analyzed and suggestions for further needs are formulated. The main results of analysis show that only a few elements of innovation capacity building are functioning at Latvian enterprises, whose aim is to build a base for the innovation capacity of the country.

Regional development should not be a unified process even for a small country such as Latvia. There is a stereotype that people living in big cities and rural areas differ in their values and behaviour. This study compares the human values of Riga, the Riga district urban area and different rural regions in Latvia. During the last three years - 2007, 2008 and 2009 the survey of 1450 inhabitants showed no substantial difference in peoples' social values; comparing rural and urban locations. Rather, a noticeable difference in human values between people living in different regions of Latvia was observed. It was also observed that the set of values expands in different directions over time, forcing a future increase in fragmentation and segmentation of the population in the country.