With this issue of 2009, we bring 52 proceedings of the 98, which started life as presentations at the Annual 15th International Scientific Conference Research for Rural Development 2009 held at the Latvia University of Agriculture, in Jelgava, on 20 to 22 May 2009. In the retrospect of four months later, we can count the Conference as a great success. The theme - Research for Rural Development - attracted participation of 321 researchers with very different backgrounds. There were 4 presentations from Ukraine, 3 from Sweden, 2 from Belarus, 3 from Estonia, 1 from Belgium, 1 from India, 1 from Turkey, 10 from Lithuania and 64 from Latvia. Four independent reviewers estimated each report. The proceedings of the Annual 15th International Scientific Conference Research for Rural Development 2009 is intended for academics, students and professionals researching in the area of crop production, animal breeding, agricultural engineering, agrarian and regional economics, food sciences, veterinary medicine, forestry, wood processing, water management. The proceedings will also be useful for researchers in educational sciences.

The 2021 report draws on research funded by A4NH on food system transformation and promising consumer- and food-environment- oriented policy options to include in the food systems transformation agenda in low- and middle income countries. It provides analysis to inform policies, programs and investments to promote inclusive food system transformation.

The coverage of improved sanitation in Vietnam is still low, especially in rural areas. As a result, water-borne diseases remain key threats to public health. While the government has committed itself to increasing the proportion of people with access to improved sanitation, it cannot afford to subsidise sanitation for the entire population. Thus, improving rural sanitation continues to rely heavily on financial contributions from household-level private users, which depend on their willingness to pay (WTP) for such services. Knowing people’s WTP is crucial when assessing the economic viability of projects, setting fees, evaluating policy alternatives, gauging financial sustainability, and designing socially equitable subsidies. However, such information on household-level demand is scarce to non-existent in Vietnam. We assessed the WTP for septic tanks among the rural population in Vietnam and identified the some factors that influence the level of WTP. The study was conducted in Hanam province, in northern Vietnam. Researchers randomly selected and surveyed 600 households, conducting personal interviews with the main breadwinners or decision-makers in each. Contingent valuation was used to obtain relevant economic data. This method consists in asking individuals how much they would be willing to pay for a change to the quantity or quality (or both) of a particular commodity. We found that 63% of the studied households were willing to pay for construction of a septic tank. The average WTP level was VND 16 million (US$ 800), which amounts to about 15% of the households’ annual disposable income. Economic hardship was found to be the major reason for not installing a sanitary latrine. Health, cleanliness, and prestige were found to be three major motivating factors for constructing septic tanks. Regression analysis showed that the odds for spending money on improved sanitation services were higher in households with better income, as well as in households whose head had better knowledge of sanitation.

Within the frame of the Nordic/Baltic public-private partnership ’PPP for pre-breeding in perennial ryegrass’ various activities were performed, including assessment of L. perenne (Lp) genotypes under agro-ecological conditions of Latvia. This article summarizes the data obtained in two harvest years for 19 intermediate tetraploid (4x) Lp genotypes. In order to compare the results obtained in ryegrass with performance of grass interspecies hybrids (Fl), which become especially relevant in the recent years, two varieties, developed in Latvia – Lolium × boucheanum Kunth. ‘Saikava’ and × Festulolium ‘Vizule’ were included in the experiment. Various scores were performed, including evaluation of regrowth, intensity of culm development, sward cover, crown rust (Puccinia coronata) susceptibility, etc. The dry matter yield (DMY) and fodder quality were also determined. It can be concluded that the genotypes showed relatively good results in the first two harvest years. Wintering conditions were favourable. Despite the intensified drought and heat in the 1st ley year, relatively high DMY, which ranged from 9.30 to 12.15 t haE−1, for Lp were harvested in three cuts. In the 2nd ley year, under more favourable humidity conditions, Lp in four cuts provided similar DMY, which ranged from 8.81 to 11.50 t haE−1. If we compare the average DMY of Lp and Fl genotypes, it can be concluded that in the first two harvest years no significant differences were found, the average DMY was 10.30 and 10.64 t haE−1, respectively. No significant differences were found between Lp and Fl in terms of forage quality.